Mexican marines have recaptured fugitive drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman following an intense military operation, six months after his spectacular prison break embarrassed authorities. The Mexican president Enrique Pena Nieto greeted the news as a victory for the country's institutions.
"This arrest, as I promised, had to occur. For many months, we carried out very intense and careful intelligence work and criminal investigation that allowed us to identify, detain and break up this criminal's ring of influence and protection. Today, Mexico confirms that its institutions have the necessary capacity to confront and overcome those who threaten the tranquility of our Mexican families，" he said.
MEXICO CITY, Jan. 9, 2016 (Xinhua) -- Soldiers escort Joaquin Guzman Loera, alias "El Chapo", upon his arrival to the hangar of the Attorney General's Office, in Mexico City, capital of Mexico, on Jan. 8, 2016. After an early morning raid in northwestern Mexico's Sinaloa State's town of Los Mochis by Mexican police and marines on Friday, Sinaloa Cartel leader Joaquin Guzman Loera was recaptured, six months after his second prison break. (Xinhua/Pedro Mera)
Guzman, one of the world's most-wanted drug lords, smuggled cocaine, heroin and methamphetamines to the US through his cartel in his home state of Sinaloa. He escaped from jail through a 1.5 kilometers tunnel dug in the showers. Guzman was apprehended in Sinaloa following a shoot-out with Mexican marines.
Five of Guzman's accomplices are thought to have been killed in the raid, which involved the army and navy as well as police. Guzman's July escape was his second - he was first arrested in Guatemala in 1993 and escaped from Puente Grande jail in 2001, reportedly in a laundry basket after bribing officials. He was on the run for 13 years before being re-captured in 2014.
