Video Released Of Joaquín ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán Prior To Escape
MEXICO CITY, July 15 (UPI) — A video has been released of drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán moments before he escaped a maximum-security Mexican prison.
Guzmán is seen pacing around his cell and sitting on his bed before he walks over to the shower area, bends down and disappears. Mexican National Security Commissioner Monte Alejandro Rubido said Guzmán’s behavior before his escape was normal for an inmate.
The Mexican government is offering nearly $3.8 million as a reward for information that leads up to the capture of Guzmán. He escaped from a Mexican maximum-security prison for the second time Saturday night by using a mile-long tunnel.
Mexico’s organized crime officials have questioned 49 people, including 32 prison employees, about Guzmán’s escape. Three prison officials have been fired, including the prison’s director, accused of being involved in the scheme.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott sent a warning to Guzmán if the drug lord were to enter his state.
“If he or any other cartel member thinks about trying to come into Texas, we’ve got a prison cell waiting for them,” Abbott told Newsmax, adding Guzmán is an “immense danger.”
“He should be in a United States prison for the rest of his life,” Abbott said, addressing his frustration that Guzmán should have been extradited.
Guzmán was last seen at the Altiplano Federal Prison in the town of Almoloya de Juarez of the State of Mexico at 8:52 p.m.
The entrance of the tunnel measured about 20-by-20 inches and the tunnel itself was about 5 feet deep. PVC piping, likely used for ventilation and lighting, were found throughout the tunnel. A motorcycle was also found inside, apparently used to dig and to transport materials for the tunnel.
Guzmán was the head of the Sinaloa Cartel and was estimated to be worth about $1 billion.
El Chapo — meaning “The Short One” or “shorty” — so dubbed because of his 5-foot-6-inch frame, was captured in Guatemala in 1993 and then extradited to Mexico to face murder and drug trafficking charges. He escaped from prison in 2001 by bribing prison guards and was re-captured in February 2014. Guzmán’s previous escape cost him about $2.5 million.
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