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July 13, 2015

Notorious Drug Lord Chapo Guzmán Escapes from Mexican Prison 
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One of Mexico's most notorious drug lords has escaped from a
maximum-security prison for the second time. Joaquín "El Chapo"
Guzmán, head of the Sinaloa cartel, escaped through a rectangular
opening in a shower area, into a mile-long tunnel under the prison west
of Mexico City. Guzmán's arrest 16 months ago was lauded as a signature
achievement of President Enrique Peña Nieto, who vowed to crack down on
drug traffickers. The United States sought unsuccessfully to extradite
Guzmán, in part over concerns he might escape again, after he fled
another Mexican prison in a laundry cart in 2001. Mexican President
Peña Nieto said he had ordered the attorney general to investigate
whether prison officials helped Guzmán escape.

President Enrique Peña Nieto: "We are also aware of the very
unfortunate incident that has angered and outraged Mexican society. I am
deeply shocked by what happened, the escape of one of Mexico and the
world's most wanted. This is undoubtedly an affront to the Mexican
government. But I am also confident that Mexican institutions,
particularly those charged with public security, rise to the challenge,
with the strength and determination to recapture this criminal."

 

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