The Capture of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman
The worlds most wanted drug lord, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman was arrested in a condominium in Mazatlan, on Saturday, February 22 by Mexican Marines in a joint U.S.-Mexico operation (Schoichet, Perez, Todd, 2014). Known for both his ruthlessness and power as the leader of the Sinaloa cartel “El Chapo” (Shorty in English) has been a high profile target for many years .
"El Chapo" came from humble beginnings in the mountain village of La Tuna de Badiraguato, Sinaloa. His father was a grower and smuggler of opium and marijuana. With no education or real outside opportunity, “El Chapo” followed in his father’s footsteps and began growing marijuana (Caldwell, Spagat, Billeaud, Weissenstein, 2014). In the late 1970’s, when Guzman was still in his 20’s, a drug lord named Hector Luis Palma Salazar hired him to be in charge of running drugs from Sinaloa to coastal cities on their way to the U.S. He rose quickly through the ranks and then began working for Miguel Àngel Felix Gallardo as a lieutenant; a position he held for many years. As his power grew, he and his affiliates became to be known as the Sinaloa Cartel. They used tunnels, lear jets, and leased warehouses in many U.S. cities, concealed cocaine in soap boxes and even used rolls of chicken wire mixed with hidden fiberglass components to store and smuggle cocaine. A truck driver was arrested at one point in Mexico hauling 1,400 cases of jalapeño peppers that were headed for Los Angeles. Each can of jalapeños contained a kilo of cocaine which amounted to a total amount of 7.3 tons. In 1993, a gunman from a rival gang who was said to be hunting “El Chapo”, opened fire into a car carrying a Catholic cardinal, who was shot 14 times. Because of this incident, the Mexican government put out a $5 million reward for any information regarding “El Chapo”.
He was arrested less than a month after the Cardinal's Killing, and was sentenced to prison in Guadalajara. On January 19, 2001, "El Chapo" escaped prison by crawling into a laundry cart and having a guard wheel him out. After his escape he became even more powerful. At one point he controlled more than half of the entire U.S.-Mexico border (Caldwell, et al., 2014). Although he had the capacity to be a ruthless thug, he also had the ability for great strategic planning. United States special forces alongside Mexican officials worked together on planning a strategic mission to capture “El Chapo” in his condominium in Mazatlan, MX. Despite having the head of the beast cut off, the question remained on how Mexico accomplished such a feat. To the Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto, the feat was thanks to the Mexican Marines and officials, but for the United States the accomplishment was thanks to the cooperation between both countries. President Peña Nieto congratulated the Mexican officials stated that Mexico will not rely on Americans’ aid in further attempts which implied the resentment of relying on Mexico’s neighbors to the north for this operation.
Relying on some US DEA officials, the Mexican Marines were tipped with “El Chapo’s” whereabouts and were quick to proceed. Utilizing infrared devices, the Mexican Marines entered the condominium undetected but were unsure of the presence of “El Chapo.” Progressing through to the main bedroom, the marines discovered “El Chapo” asleep next to an unidentified woman said to possibly be his wife. Asthe notorious “El Chapo” was drawn out, no shots were fired despite “El Chapo’s” arsenal of weapons at his disposal. The search had developed thanks to the capture of his lieutenant earlier in the year and other members of the cartel. These captures tipped off “El Chapo” while he resided in a hideout in Culiacán and he was able to get away without capture by escaping through the tunnel underneath his bathroom shower. Despite his escape, the Mexican officials later discovered the tunnels that connected his Culiacán hideout. Recognizing “El Chapo’s” escape patterns allowed for an advantage over the operation to later infiltrate the condominium in Mazatlan. At the operation, the Mexican government had utilized intel that the US DEA in Arizona gathered when arresting the son of “El Chapo’s” lieutenant, the said to be heir of “El Chapo’s” position,
“El Chapo’s” arrest has been viewed as a huge success in the “War on Drugs.” But with all of the media buzz along with news articles, and families calling one another to share the “chisme” (gossip), we’re forgetting to realize that the violence in Mexico has not decreased nor has the amount of illegal drugs coming into the US. It seems that El Chapo’s arrest is nothing more than a miniscule accomplishment in the broader picture. The Sinaloa Cartel continues to have more than $3 billion each year in revenue and they will continue to be responsible for 25% of the illegal drugs brought to the US over the Mexican-American border (Estevez, 2014). In analysing this situation it is important to recognize that a new kingpin, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, will take over and will still work with “El Chapo”, even while in jail.
Although the arrest of “El Chapo” is a step closer to eliminating the US/ Mexico Drug epidemic, with the help of the new kingpin, “El Mayo”, the success of the Sinaloa Cartel will continue to still be carried out. The United States and Mexico will have to continue to tightly work together in order to ensure any further success of the Sinaloa Cartel and the“War on Drugs.” President Peñanieto will have to acknowledge that this conflict is not one-sided, and that collaboration with the United States is a vital aspect in this process as shown by the capture of “El Chapo.” The technology and intelligence utilized in the planning of locating the drug lord has proven that the United States can be a valuable asset in combination with partnership with the Mexican government. This capture may not have been possible without these vital elements.
At first glance, “El Chapo’s” sentence seems obvious-- a life in jail or maybe even execution. But when we dig a little bit deeper into the issue, we can foresee that if he stays in the Mexican judicial system, there is a possibility of him escaping, again. But, if he is extradited to the United States, he will face a variety of charges (Kawas, 2014).Hopefully, El Chapo’s arrest will open doors for a change in strategy and be a turning point for the way that the War on Drugs is approached by both the United States and Mexican governments.
Citations for this article:
Archibold, R., Thompson, G. (2014) El Chapo, Most-Wanted Drug Lord, Is Captured In Mexico. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/23/world/americas/joaquin-guzman-loera-sinaloa-drug-cartel-leader-is-captured-in-mexico.html
Caldwell, A., Spagat, E., Billeaud, J., & Weissenstein, M. (2014). ‘Chapo’ guzman’s rise: from poor, abused to cartel kingpin. El Paso Times. Retrieved from http://www.elpasotimes.com/ci_25255091/chapo-guzmans-rise-from-poor-abused-cartel-kingpin?source=most_viewed
Kawas, G. (2014). The Future of “El Chapo” Guzman and Latin America’s War on Drugs. Panampost. Retrieved from http://panampost.com/gina-kawas/2014/03/05/future-el-chapo-guzman-latin-americas-war-on-drugs/
Schoichet, C., Perez, E., & Todd, B. (2014). ‘El chapo’ guzman: how the worlds most wanted drug lord was finally busted. CNN. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/23/world/americas/el-chapo-capture/
Its sad to see that even though one drug lord is taken down, there will always be more who will take their place. Its poses a question on what we can actually do about the war on drugs. It seems that it is somewhat inevitable in some circumstances as terrorism seems to be in other situations. There's only so much heavier restrictions and further national security can do. It's expensive and time consuming.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your question about what one can actually do to stop the war on drugs but in the larger context we have to ask how did the "war on drugs" begin and why have the "Drug Lords" resorted to selling drugs to create profit? Then from the US perspective, yes the restrictions can only go so far and the amount of money citizens and the government are willing to contribute will only increase to certain point and then funds will begin to decrease or cease. It tough moment for Mexico and the relationship Mexico has with the US.
DeleteI agree that the issue can sometimes appear unavoidable. The issue with the war on drugs is so multifaceted that there is no single solution. The corruption of the Mexican justice system, the contributions from the United States that continue to foster this war and even strong support from locals who idolize these drug lords and consider them modern day Robin Hoods. Elements such as these pose the most difficulty because they are the most difficult to control.
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