Updated 10:13 AM EDT, Thu, Apr 25, 2024

New Charges Leveled Against Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman, Authorities Gain Window into Elaborate Underground World

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With Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman arrested, the Mexican billionaire criminal is likely discovering that he is quite popular among law enforcement officials around the world. Everyone associated with the 13-year man hunt for him is very anxious to meet him face-to-face.

Outside of his home country, no one is more excited to meet him than authorities in the United States—U.S. officials are already making the case for Mexican authorities to hand him over.

"I think the normal sequence is Mexico, being a sovereign nation, has the first prosecution," U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul told ABC. "However, there's a history here. He escaped from a prison in 2001. There is corruption in that country, and I would ask that the Mexicans consider extraditing him to the United States where he will be put in a 'super max' prison, under tight security where he cannot escape and be brought to justice with a life imprisonment sentence."

Guzman, who was named Chicago's "Public Enemy No. 1," faces charges in numerous U.S. jurisdictions. In addition to Illinois, Guzman has open indictments in Texas, California and New York as well. He and others in his cartel are named in indictments for crimes ranging from drug trafficking to conspiracy to commit murder.

But U.S. authorities should be ready to exercise a bit of patience.

"I don't think it's going to happen anytime soon," said Mexican Attorney General Jesus Murillo Karam in regard to extradition, The Associated Press reported. "This is the start of a full investigation that will allow us to fully eradicate his organization. It would be pointless to do anything else."

Mexican authorities are quick to point out that Guzman still has the remainder of his original prison term to serve out. After that, he faces at least six new charges in their jurisdiction that they will want him to face trial for.

The AP reports that on Sunday Guzman was formally charged with new offenses of drug trafficking and organized crime. Also, at the time of his previous incarceration he was still awaiting trial on charges of bribery and conspiracy. All signs indicate that Mexican government will want to at least see those prosecutions through to their completion before considering any extradition requests.

For one thing, there is a new Mexican president that is eager to show his country that his strategies are successful and that he can reign in Mexico's vast narco-crime problems.

"The apprehension of one of the most wanted drug lords at the international level shows the effectiveness of the Mexican state, but in no way should it be a motive to fall into triumphalism," President Enrique Pena Nieto said according to CNN.

"On the contrary, this institutional accomplishment encourages us to move forward, working with passion and energy to demonstrate that, yes, it is possible to achieve a peaceful Mexico."

A Window Into the Sinaloa Cartel's Vast Infrastructure and Resources

Through the capture of Guzman, the world got a glimpse into just how resourceful the Sinaloa Cartel is through the vast network of tunnels that the organization was able to construct under the noses of Mexican and American authorities.

Weeks before the arrest, Guzman was able to barely escape a raid carried out at the home of an ex-wife by slipping through a trap door in a bath tub. He fled through an underground tunnel as authorities were slowed by a steel reinforced door.

Once through, what they found was an elaborate, sophisticated tunnel network that connected at least seven other homes in the Sinaloan state capital of Culiacan. The International Business Times reports that three tons of drugs were confiscated before the network was fully mapped out.

This is not the first time tunnels purportedly constructed by Guzman's cartel have been unearthed.

In October 2013, U.S. and Mexican authorities discovered a highly-engineered tunnel running approximately a third of a mile from Tijuana to a warehouse in San Diego. It was alleged that it was the work of the Sinaloa Cartel and had the markings of a professional job.

"These are structurally sound and structurally engineered tunnels," said San Diego U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy to UT San Diego. "They're built by architects and engineers ... it's a very labor-intensive, sophisticated, high-tech operation."

It was also the third such tunnel discovered in the area.

In July 2012, an equally impressive 755-foot tunnel was discovered in Yuma, Ariz., also believed to be the work of the Sinaloa Cartel. Once again it showed signs of sophisticated construction techniques.

"I would suspect that professional engineers were cooperating with the builders, if not working on site," said DEA special agent Doug Coleman to the LA Times, estimating that construction could have run $1.5 million to $2 million and taken up to a year to complete.

Whether or not there are more tunnels yet to discover, the cartel has very deep pockets. Guzman's arrest also resulted in the confiscation of numerous armored cars and an arsenal of firearms. Surely the cartel has more where that came from, and a formidable organization is still in place that could cause problems for authorities on both sides of the border for years to come.

"Sinaloa has managed to expand in such a way that the business can run itself," said Samuel Logan of Southern Pulse to the New York Times. "The entire Mexican state could fall, and the drug trade will continue, as long as there is a demand."

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