Should Mexico extradite Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán?

[RandomVariable]

Last Saturday drug-cartel kingpin Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán was captured in a hotel in Mazatlan, Mexico. Guzman is a billionaire and listed on Forbes' list of world's most powerful people (4). The geographic area of his drug domain included North America, Austrailia, and Europe (4). In some U.S. cities, such as Chicago, Guzman is blamed for as much as 80% of the drugs imported (1). Chicago is in one of the four states which has issued indictments from Guzman (5). Nationally he is believed to be responsible for one forth of all drugs coming into America (3). Guzman's drug empire has contributed to the the death of a million individuals (5). In Mexico alone nearly 80,000 individuals have died from drug related violence in the last seven years (4). Drug cartels regularly kill police, local politicians and journalists with near immunity (4). Mexico does not have the death penalty which might complicate efforts to get Guzman extradited (5). U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder stated, “[The] apprehension of Joaquin 'Chapo' Guzmán Loera, by Mexican authorities is a landmark achievement, and a victory for the citizens of both Mexico and the United States. We are pleased that we were able to work effectively with Mexico through the co-operative relationship that US law-enforcement agencies have with their Mexican counterparts. (1)” Mexican Attorney General Jesus Murillo Karam also applauded the cooperation between the two countries (2). The operation was carried out by the Mexican Navy (2). Mexico has kind of a odd organization where they don't really have an Army. The Navy fills in for the role an Army would play. The U.S. agencies participating in the eventual capture of Guzman were the DEA, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the U.S. Marshals Service (5). Guzman was an extremely difficult person to capture due to his ability to be one step ahead of raids many times. In 2012 he was nearly apprehended in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico at a beach mansion (5).

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(1) Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán: US to seek cartel leader's extradition from Mexico | World news | theguardian.com
(2) Drug kingpin?s arrest shows Mexican authorities making progress - The Washington Post
(3) How Mexico's Police Caught ?El Chapo?: Wiretaps, Raids, And Informants | TIME.com
(4) U.S. Seeks Extradition of Mexican Drug Lord Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán | TIME.com
(5) 'El Chapo' Guzman: Behind arrest of world's most wanted drug lord - CNN.com

 

[Katzndogz]

He will be brought to this country, rearmed with better weapons and given a green card. Welcome to obamamerica.

 

[waltky]

Got him!...

​Cartel Kingpin "El Chapo" Had 43 Vehicles, 16 Houses
After Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, major drug lord of the Sinaloa cartel, wasapprehended yesterday in Mazatlán, details of his property and possessions are slowly being revealed as Mexican authorities begin investigations. With 43 vehicles, 16 houses, and 4 ranches, El Chapo did more than just live large.

According to Forbes:

The Mexican Attorney General reported that the operation lasted around a month and was triggered by intelligence that revealed that the kingpin was living in seven different houses which were connected by secret tunnels and sewers. In recent days, the Mexican press published pictures of Mexican Marines lifting sewer covers to look for El Chapo.

In addition to El Chapo's properties, authorities seized 97 long arms, 36 handguns, two grenade launchers, and one rocket launcher, and noted that 19 of his 43 vehicles were armored. El Chapo managed to evade arrest by burrowing between seven of his houses, reinforced by steel doors, and whose tunnels were often found in the residences' showers. This arrest is the first time El Chapo has been seen by authorities in ten years, and when the news of his apprehension was leaked yesterday, it was before Mexican authorities had confirmed with certainty that it was him. This important detail has now been verified:

Mexico's attorney general, Jesús Murillo Karam, said a later forensic exam made it "100 percent" certain the man was Mr. Guzmán; the tests were done to avoid the kind of embarrassment Mexican officials faced in June 2012 when they announced the arrest of Mr. Guzmán's son, only to later discover it was not him. As of this afternoon, it was announced that the U.S. will seek extradition of Guzmán, but Mexicans in Mazatlán are reportedly wary of the development, claiming that El Chapo was "keeping the peace."

Cartel Kingpin "El Chapo" Had 43 Vehicles, 16 Houses

See also:

El Chapo Guzman Wife: Was Beauty Queen Emma Coronel With Sinaloa's Cartel Kingpin During Arrest?
February 24, 2014: The arrest of Sinaloa's cartel kingpin and the world's most powerful drug dealer, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman is all over the news and many speculate that his wife, former beauty queen Emma Coronel was the unidentified woman who was taken into custody with him. According to reports, El Chapo and the mystery woman were arrested at a beach resort in Mazatlan on Saturday, Feb. 22.

"If he is not extradited, he will be able to escape in a period of time. When you arrest the most powerful man in Mexico and the Americas, if you speak with any cartel member, they will say that he is even more powerful than the Mexican President, Pena Nieto," Al Paso Intelligence Center Phil Jordan said, describing how significant Guzman's arrest is for the Mexican and United States governments. Guzman was also a drug trafficker in Europe,Australia and Asia.

Guzman, 56, and the now 24-year-old Coronel married in 2007, only days after she turned 18 years old. He was attracted to her after winning the Miss Coffee and Guava beauty pageant. Coronel, who is the daughter of Guzman's top deputy, Ines Coronel Barreas, is either Guzman's third or fourth wife, giving him twin daughters in 2011 at Antelope Valley Hospital, Los Angeles,California. She is both Mexican and American citizen and was last seen re-entering Mexico after giving birth.

Guzman is known as a legendary outlaw and had been pursued for a couple of weeks. Several Sinaloa operatives were taken down in the previous months while Guzman's partner, Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada was arrested after entering Arizona in November of 2013. Agents learned that Guzman started coming down from his mountain hideout to enjoy his fortune. Guzman was rumoured to live from Guatemala to Argentina after he escaped prison in a laundry truck. Rumour has it that his escape was aided by insiders, bribery and even former Mexican President Felipe Calderon.

The man who was able to elude Mexican authorities for more than 10 years already looked pudgy and middle-aged in a white button-down shirt and black jeans. Many speculate that Guzman has undergone several plastic surgeries to change his facial features for anonymity.

El Chapo Guzman Wife: Was Beauty Queen Emma Coronel With Sinaloa's Cartel Kingpin During Arrest? - International Business Times

 

[TheOldSchool]

He will be brought to this country, rearmed with better weapons and given a green card. Welcome to obamamerica.

Hell he's brown right? They'll make him a Senator by 2018!

 

[waltky]

Mebbe dey could trade Guzman for a soldier gone AWOL...

Dozen corpses found in pickup in gang-ridden Mexican state
Mon Jun 9, 2014 - Authorities found 12 corpses dumped in the back of a pick-up truck on Monday in the restive northwestern Mexican state of Sinaloa, where violence has been on the rise since drug kingpin Joaquin "Shorty" Guzman was captured in February.

Sinaloa State Attorney General Marco Antonio Higuera said all of the victims were male, and none have been identified. An official at his office said three of the dead were wearing tactical vests "as if they were police." However, the official said it was unclear if they were police or gang members. All were killed by gunfire.

It was the latest in a series of grisly finds that bear the hallmarks of drug gang killings in a spree of violence that has killed more than 90,000 people since 2006, when former President Felipe Calderon ordered the military to battle drug cartels. Guzman, who headed the infamous Sinaloa cartel and was the world's most wanted drug lord, was captured in February in the state’s capital of Culiacan. Homicides in Sinaloa jumped 25 percent from February to April of this year, according to government statistics.

Since taking office in December 2012, President Enrique Pena Nieto has sought to shift public attention away from the churn of killings and onto his efforts to reform the economy. However, the violence forges on, and overall homicides in the country were only slightly lower in the first four months of 2014 versus the same period last year.

Dozen corpses found in pickup in gang-ridden Mexican state | Reuters

 

[waltky]

Just missed him...

Mexico: Injured drug lord 'El Chapo' on the run
October 17, 2015 - Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, the elusive Mexican drug kingpin who escaped from a high security prison in July, was injured in his leg and face during a "headlong flight" as authorities recently closed in on his mountain hideout, Mexico's National Security Cabinet confirmed in a statement late Friday.

The government said Guzman was not wounded in a direct confrontation with law enforcement agencies but during a hasty retreat as Mexican Marines moved to surround his location. Guzman is known by the nickname "El Chapo" or, in English, "Shorty." The brief statement came in response to a report from NBC News that Guzman he had been hurt while evading capture last week. The statement by Mexico’s security Cabinet provided no details on when or exactly where the operation took place. It said only that information-sharing with international agencies had led authorities to zero in on Guzman in northwestern Mexico. "As a result of these actions, and to avoid his capture, in recent days, the fugitive engaged in a hasty retreat, which, according to the information received, caused him injuries to one leg and the face," the statement said. "It's important to clarify that these injuries were not a product of a direct clash," the statement added, without elaboration. NBC, quoting three sources with knowledge of the operation, reported that an operation by Mexican Marines was mounted after U.S. drug agents intercepted cell phone signals suggesting he was hiding at a ranch near Cosala in the Sierra Madre mountains.

NBC's Mark Potter reported that Marines raided Guzman's ranch hideout in helicopters, but were driven back by Guzman's security forces. The Marines later entered the camp on foot, NBC News reported, and found cell phones, medication and two-way radios. Guzman and his accomplices apparently fled on ATVs. On Thursday, Sinaloa Governor Mario López Valdez and military commander Gen. Alfonso Duarte Mujica confirmed that Guzman was the object of a major military operation that began last week, Mexico News Daily reports. Guzman, who had already escaped from one maximum security prison in 2001, fled most recently on July 11 from another prison near Mexico City by escaping through an elaborate tunnel that ended beneath a shower stall in his cell. Although authorities initially released surveillance camera video showing Guzman stepping behind a shower stall partition, blocked from view, in making his escape, it did not include any audio. A leaked video recently aired by the broadcaster Televisa does include audio, notably loud noises at the time of the escape, but no reaction from guards, according to The newspaper Mexico News Daily reports.

For almost two hours before his escape, the video shows Guzman on his bed watching a video on a computer tablet with the volume cranked up, the newspaper reports. At 8:46 a drill can be heard for almost six minutes over the sound from the tablet. At that point, he gets up and walks over to the shower area. “Boss?” comes a voice from the tunnel and Guzmán replies, “I’ll help you.” He then bends over the in the shower area, which is blocked from the camera’s view, and apparently helps remove a piece of the concrete floor. Within a few moments he is gone. The newspaper also notes that loud noises had been heard in the Altiplano prison for as a long as a week before the escape, but that some prisoners in that part of the penitentiary kept quiet because they had been threatened by prison officials. Mexican Attorney General Arely Gomez said at a Mexican Senate hearing this week that 24 people, all but one a government employee, had been arrested in connection with Guzman's escape. Those arrested include a pilot, she said, without elaborating.

Mexico: Injured drug lord 'El Chapo' on the run

 

[waltky]

El Chapo's escape team arrested...

Mexico arrests suspected organizers of 'El Chapo' jailbreak
Oct 21,`15 -- Mexico's government on Wednesday announced the capture of six people believed responsible for the July prison break by Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, including the elusive drug lord's brother-in-law and the suspected mastermind of the escape.

Attorney General Arely Gomez said the alleged mastermind is a member of Guzman's legal team who had access to the Altiplano prison near Mexico City, and was able to notify the capo of the operation's progress and receive instructions. The person also purportedly relayed orders and payments to others involved in the escape. Other suspects arrested included Guzman's brother-in-law, believed to have supervised construction of the mile-long (1.5-kilometer) escape tunnel and organized transportation; a person who negotiated the purchase of the plot of land where the tunnel emerged; and an airplane pilot. "Today we are able to affirm that the group responsible for planning, organizing and carrying out the escape from outside the prison) has been broken up," Gomez said. She confirmed that after the escape, the notorious Sinaloa drug cartel boss traveled by land to the city of Queretaro where officials say he caught a small plane to a mountainous region of Sinaloa, his home state and stronghold.

Mexican Federal Police guard a drainage pipe outside of the Altiplano maximum security prison in Almoloya, west of Mexico City. Mexican officials said Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2015, that they have captured six people who helped the notorious drug cartel boss break out of prison in July. The suspects include a man considered the mastermind of the escape, the capo’s brother-in-law and an airplane pilot.​

The attorney general added that two Cessna aircraft left from Queretaro. She did not give details or take questions, but a federal official who was not authorized to discuss the matter and spoke on condition of anonymity said one of the flights was apparently a ruse to throw any pursuers off the scent. Authorities recently detained a second pilot in the case. Gomez did not name any of the suspects but said they planned, organized and carried out the jailbreak in cahoots with officials inside the maximum-security lockup. About 23 prison officials and employees have also been arrested; some face criminal charges. Security agents have focused their manhunt in recent weeks on Sinaloa and neighboring Durango state, part of Mexico's notorious drug-producing Golden Triangle region. Officials say Guzman was injured in the leg and face there while evading a dragnet in rugged terrain.

"El Chapo's" July 11 escape through a tunnel dug to the shower in his cell was his second brazen flight from prison. In 2001, he slipped out of another maximum-security facility, purportedly hidden in a laundry cart. The latest jailbreak made him once again Mexico's most-wanted fugitive and was a huge black eye for the government of President Enrique Pena Nieto, which had dismissed the possibility that Guzman could escape a second time. Washington had called for Guzman's extradition to face charges in U.S. federal courts, fearing that Mexico might have trouble keeping him behind bars. But Mexican officials said he would only be extradited after first serving out long prison sentences for crimes committed in his home country.

News from The Associated Press

 

[waltky]

Granny says, "Dats' right - dey let him escape - let dem catch him...

Mexican official: 'not one single' U.S. agent helping in 'El Chapo' manhunt
Oct. 27, 2015 -- The United States is assisting with intelligence operations but has not deployed agents in the hunt for notorious drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, according to a Mexican official. In a radio interview with Mexico's Radio Formula, Secretary of Interior Miguel Angel Osorio Chong said "not one single person" from a U.S. security agency is participating in the manhunt for Guzman in Mexico.

The United States is collaborating by exchanging technology and intelligence to aid in the capture of Guzman, Osorio explained. "We're working on his capture, but it would be irresponsible to say we've got him in one place or that we're surrounding him," Osorio said, adding that he could not provide an estimate of when Guzman will be captured. Last week, Mexico arrested six people suspected of having a key role in Guzman's escape, including his brother-in-law and the apparent mastermind of the prison break.

Mexican Secretary of Interior Miguel Angel Osorio Chong said Monday that the United States is assisting with intelligence operations but has not deployed agents in the hunt for notorious drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman.​

The arrests came days after Mexican television channel Televisa broadcasted the CCTV footage of Guzman's escape -- the longer version of a video authorities previously released but without sound and only showing the moments before Guzman disappeared. In July, Guzman escaped from a Mexican maximum security prison for the second time using a mile-long tunnel, which could have taken a year to build. PVC piping, likely used for ventilation and lighting, was found throughout the tunnel. A motorcycle was also found, apparently used to dig and to transport materials for the tunnel.

"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 hiding in a laundry cart after bribing prison guards, and was re-captured in February 2014. Guzman's previous escape allegedly cost him about $2.5 million.

Mexican official: 'not one single' U.S. agent helping in 'El Chapo' manhunt

 

[waltky]

Granny says, "Dat's right - dey don't want `em tunnelin' outta jail...

Two accused 'El Chapo' associates extradited to U.S. on drug charges
Nov. 17, 2015 - The Sinaloa Cartel is credited with dominating the illegal drug market in nearly the entire United States

Two accused members of drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman's Sinaloa Cartel have been extradited to the United States to face drug-smuggling charges. Pedro Alejandro Rubio Pérez and César Gastelum Serrano were taken from different detention centers and transported to Mexico City's Toluca International Airport, where they were handed over to U.S. authorities, Mexico's Attorney General's Office said. The extradition was carried out through the authorization of a former treaty signed by the U.S. Department of State and Mexico's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Pedro Alejandro Rubio Pérez and César Gastelum Serrano, accused members of drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman's Sinaloa Cartel, have been extradited to the United States to face drug-smuggling charges.​

Rubio Pérez, 49, was arrested in November 2013 on drug and organized crime charges while Gastelum Serrano, 47, was arrested in Cancun in April. Gastelum Serrano -- also known as "La Señora" -- was placed on the U.S. Department of Treasury's Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act list in 2014, calling him "one of the most prolific cocaine suppliers for Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel." He is accused of heading "a cocaine trafficking organization capable of moving tons of cocaine per week through Honduras and Guatemala to Mexico." Guzman's Sinaloa Cartel is credited with dominating the illegal drug market in nearly the entire United States, a recent report by the Drug Enforcement Administration says.

On July 11, Guzman escaped from a Mexican maximum security prison for the second time using a mile-long tunnel, which could have taken a year to build. During the investigation into Guzman's escape, authorities first looked into which Altiplano prison workers were complicit in the crime before expanding the search further to civilian suspects. "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 hiding in a laundry cart after bribing prison guards, and was re-captured in February 2014.

In October, an unedited leaked video of Guzman's escape shed further light into the suspicious circumstances surrounding the prison break. Mexican television channel Televisa broadcasted the CCTV footage of Guzman's escape, the longer version of a video authorities previously released but without sound and only showing the moments before Guzman disappeared.

Two accused 'El Chapo' associates extradited to U.S. on drug charges

 

[Delta4Embassy]

Last Saturday drug-cartel kingpin Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán was captured in a hotel in Mazatlan, Mexico. Guzman is a billionaire and listed on Forbes' list of world's most powerful people (4). The geographic area of his drug domain included North America, Austrailia, and Europe (4). In some U.S. cities, such as Chicago, Guzman is blamed for as much as 80% of the drugs imported (1). Chicago is in one of the four states which has issued indictments from Guzman (5). Nationally he is believed to be responsible for one forth of all drugs coming into America (3). Guzman's drug empire has contributed to the the death of a million individuals (5). In Mexico alone nearly 80,000 individuals have died from drug related violence in the last seven years (4). Drug cartels regularly kill police, local politicians and journalists with near immunity (4). Mexico does not have the death penalty which might complicate efforts to get Guzman extradited (5). U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder stated, “[The] apprehension of Joaquin 'Chapo' Guzmán Loera, by Mexican authorities is a landmark achievement, and a victory for the citizens of both Mexico and the United States. We are pleased that we were able to work effectively with Mexico through the co-operative relationship that US law-enforcement agencies have with their Mexican counterparts. (1)” Mexican Attorney General Jesus Murillo Karam also applauded the cooperation between the two countries (2). The operation was carried out by the Mexican Navy (2). Mexico has kind of a odd organization where they don't really have an Army. The Navy fills in for the role an Army would play. The U.S. agencies participating in the eventual capture of Guzman were the DEA, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the U.S. Marshals Service (5). Guzman was an extremely difficult person to capture due to his ability to be one step ahead of raids many times. In 2012 he was nearly apprehended in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico at a beach mansion (5).

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(1) Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán: US to seek cartel leader's extradition from Mexico | World news | theguardian.com
(2) Drug kingpin?s arrest shows Mexican authorities making progress - The Washington Post
(3) How Mexico's Police Caught ?El Chapo?: Wiretaps, Raids, And Informants | TIME.com
(4) U.S. Seeks Extradition of Mexican Drug Lord Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán | TIME.com
(5) 'El Chapo' Guzman: Behind arrest of world's most wanted drug lord - CNN.com

Yes. and while in transit he should have an accident and accidentally get shot a few dozen times.

 

[waltky]

Chapo's ace inna hole released from the hold...

'El Chapo' prison director freed, but authorities maintain she had role in escape
Aug. 15, 2016 -- A Mexican court has released Leonor García, the former director of the Altiplano Federal Prison from which drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman escaped.

Mexico's Third Collegiate Court of the Second Circuit ordered the release of Garcia pending further review as part of her appeal. Mexico's Attorney General's Office said that while it respected the court's decision, the agency maintains that García is guilty -- adding that the court rejected key evidence in the case.

"The Attorney General's Office is respectful of this judgment and the areas of competence in the administration of justice," Mexico's Attorney General's Office said in a statement. "However, the Public Ministry of the Federation maintains its conviction about the responsibility of the person prosecuted under that, as noted in the detailed analysis of the resolution, the judging authority rejected key elements to support the accusations against Leonor García."

The Attorney General's Office said that García could still be imprisoned again as there are two separate judicial processes against her and another appeal.

García is one of dozens of Mexican officials and citizens either investigated or arrested in connection to Guzman's escape. Guzman was first arrested in Guatemala in 1993 and then extradited to Mexico to face murder and drug trafficking charges. He escaped from prison in 2001 by hiding in a laundry cart after bribing prison guards, and was re-captured in February 2014. He was captured in the city of Los Mochis in his home state of Sinaloa on Jan. 8 after escaping from Mexico's Altiplano Federal Prison last year.

'El Chapo' prison director freed, but authorities maintain she had role in escape

See also:

At least 10 people kidnapped by gang in Mexican resort town of Puerto Vallarta
Aug. 16, 2016 -- At least 10 people were kidnapped at gunpoint by a group of heavily armed men while the victims were dining at a popular restaurant in the Mexican resort town of Puerto Vallarta, officials said early Monday.

Local media reported possibly as many as 16 men were driven away in two large utility vehicles at about 1 a.m. Monday. The abduction took place near the town's tourist attractions, police said. Police believe four women were either let go or escaped from the kidnappers. Jalisco state police are trying to locate them.

Eduardo Almaguer, chief prosecutor of Jalisco state, emphasized the incident involved rival gangs and not tourists. He also said the sons of imprisoned cartel leader Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, were not the targets of the kidnapping. "We want to stress that there is a very clear presumption that this had to do with a criminal group, it didn't involve tourists or citizens who were involved in legitimate activities," Almaguer said at press conference. Authorities did not disclose which gangs were involved and the fate of the men kidnapped is not known.

At least 10 people kidnapped by gang in Mexican resort town of Puerto Vallarta

Related:

Gunmen abduct suspected gang members from Mexico resort town - official
Tuesday 16th August, 2016: Eight armed men abducted "six or seven" suspected members of the Sinaloa drug cartel from a restaurant in the heart of Mexico's Pacific tourist resort of Puerto Vallarta early on Monday morning, the state attorney general said.

Local authorities say the victims were seized around 1 a.m. CDT (0600 GMT) on Monday from a restaurant in the resort town. Interviewed on local television, Jalisco Attorney General Eduardo Almaguer said the men who were abducted were believed to be members of the Sinaloa cartel, one of Mexico's most feared drug smuggling gangs, which was led by Joaquin "Chapo" Guzman until his capture in January.

Almaguer said the suspected gang members were accompanied by nine women who were left behind, adding that the kidnappers had yet to make any contact with authorities. Puerto Vallarta, in the state of Jalisco, is one of Mexico's top vacation destinations, luring all-inclusive tourists and high-end sunseekers to its beaches.

Jalisco, which lies south along the Pacific coast from Sinaloa, is also home to the Jalisco New Generation cartel, which has become one of the country's most powerful drug gangs in recent years. In a statement, the prosecutor's office said it was investigating the incident, while Almaguer said he was trying to fully identify the men who were abducted.

Gunmen abduct suspected gang members from Mexico resort town - official

 

[waltky]

Mexican navy nabs El Chapo henchman...

Alleged 'El Chapo' high-level henchman arrested
Oct. 31, 2016 -- The Mexican navy on Monday said it recently captured Rey David Santiago, the alleged leader of drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman's Sinaloa cartel in the states of Baja California and Sinaloa.

Santiago was captured in Sinaloa's town of Ejido San Jose de Guanajuato on Friday in possession of a handgun and various fake forms of identification, the Mexican navy said in a statement. "The arrest occurred when elements of the Navy of Mexico which were performing a tour of deterrence on the Mazatlan-Culiacan road observed a gray vehicle whose crew noticed the presence of the infantry marines and tried to flee," the Mexican navy wrote.

The Mexican marines chased the fleeing suspects and eventually were able to inspect the vehicle, in which marines found a "9mm pistol exclusive for use of the armed forces ... and various apocryphal IDs certifying a false identity."

Mexican navy gettin' ready to do Mexican Hat Dance fer nabbin' El Chapo henchman​

Santiago was arrested and taken to the Sinaloa Attorney General's Office. He serves as the "alleged head of a criminal group square operating in the states of Sinaloa and Baja California Sur and focus on the purchase and distribution of drugs [methamphetamine]," the Mexican navy added.

An investigation has been launched and formal criminal charges have not yet been announced. Guzman's Sinaloa Cartel is credited with dominating the illegal drug market in nearly the entire United States.

Alleged 'El Chapo' high-level henchman arrested