Chapters
Shownotes Transcript
He was a criminal genius that built an international consortium that rivals any private corporation in the world. They operate in 40 countries and they generate billions of dollars every year. There are not too many CEOs in any company around the world that would rival Chapo Usman's infrastructure.
his criminal genius, and his ability to get away with crime and drug trafficking for decades. Not for the first time, El Chapo is on the run, moving from location to location deep in the Sinaloa Mountains. The authorities continue to monitor his telephone calls. They have a rough idea where he is, but they still can't pin him down to a specific spot. However, the traffic to and from his cell phone is increasing.
And each time Chaplow sends a message or makes a call, he's risking exposure. My name is John Cuban, and this is the season finale of Real Narcos. The monitoring of his telephone calls continued. Now he's enamored with Keitel Castillo. Through his attorneys, he sends a BlackBerry secure telephone to Keitel Castillo. But now, you know, we have the ability to monitor those calls.
Kate Del Castillo, the Mexican actress, is keen to explore the possibility of making a movie about Chapo's exploits. And Chapo's had enough of being marooned up in the mountains. All this fraternizing with actors and producers, all this talk of turning his life story into a film, it's too good to resist. Chapo is all in on the movie idea, but he can't oversee a screenplay from the Sierra Madre. So now he makes the pivotal decision to come back down to the city.
So they start now tracking a lot of Cated Castillo's communication with Chapo Usman. Chapo Usman, once again, makes another fatal mistake and he decides that he's going to go into the city of Los Mochis. When El Chapo moves house, it's not just one guy and his family. Even when he's on the run, he's got standards to uphold, a certain quality of life to maintain.
Even his fugitive household is pretty extensive. It's certainly big enough to be noticed in a new city. The DEA find their attention drawn to a multi-story house in the northern suburbs of Los Mochis, a coastal city in the state of Sinaloa. The house in question is a hive of activity. Men with weapons always seem to be coming and going. The property more than merits being put under surveillance. The armed guard's movements have caught the attention of the authorities. But the guards are still being cautious, as cautious as they can be.
When they leave the house, they make sure not to be followed. They keep irregular routines. When they exit after a shift, it's usually under cover of night, and they're always in a hurry. It would be so easy for the authorities to blow their own cover and send Chapo back into hiding. Patience is key. They must wait until exactly the right moment to strike. One evening, two men leave the house. The DEA and the Mexican Marines follow them to a local restaurant.
DEA and the Mexican Marines already knew that Chapo Guzman was coming to that residence in Los Mochis. And it was under surveillance. They see vehicles coming in, men getting out of those vehicles, going into this house with weapons, visible weapons.
Maybe an hour later, they see a couple of individuals leave the residence and they're tracked to a taqueria, which is a taco stand in the city, and they order many tacos. It's just not for one or two individuals, but it's probably 100 tacos in these boxes that are cut out where they can stack the tacos.
in wax paper, and they're carrying jars of salsa. The size of the takeout order makes the situation abundantly clear. There must be more people holed up inside the property, people the agents haven't yet laid eyes on. And clearly, whoever they are, they're hungry. It's time to move in.
and they go back to the house. And at that point in time, it's decided that the Marines are going to assault the front door. The world's most wanted drug lord has been undone by his stomach and his lust for tacos. In the streets surrounding the property, 17 Marines file out of vehicles and take up positions around the house.
They go to the front door and they kick it down. And that's when the shooting starts. A tranquil night has erupted into life. The Marines find themselves in a fight to the death.
Finally, the Marines gained the upper hand.
and they end up killing several of Chapo Guzman's bodyguards and then they finally take others into custody. The Mexican Marines were able to secure the house, but Chapo Guzman was nowhere to be found. He was definitely here. His belongings are in every room, but the man himself has vanished. One of the Marines goes into a bedroom. His reflection looks back at him from the door of a mirrored closet.
The door is swinging gently on its hinges. The Marine opens it fully. You can add this miraculous escape to Chapo's long list of disappearing acts. Guzman has fled through another tunnel. Well, strictly speaking, this tunnel is a sewage pipe running underneath the closet. They searched the house, couldn't find them, and they go into a mirrored closet and they find an entrance into the sewer system of Los Mochis.
There's no time to lose. Chappell may be gone, but he can't be more than two minutes ahead of them. The Marines climb down the sewage pipe. Water splashes around their ankles. It's pitch black and the smell is rancid. But they can hear their target up ahead. They go into the sewer system and now the sewage is starting to rise.
Chapo Guzman and one of his lieutenants, an individual by the name of El Cholo, are running through the sewer system. Unlike previous escape tunnels, this pipe wasn't tailor-made for Chapo. It's extremely hazardous. If the fugitives don't return to the surface soon, they'll drown. And the sewage starts to get to their knees, it goes through their waist.
and gets up to their chest and they figure it's time to get out of here. So they climb up and there's a manhole cover right in the middle of a street in Sinaloa. They push it open and they crawl out of there. As they emerge into a packed street, Chapo and his aide are covered in sewage. The locals back away, clutching their noses. A few of the bystanders scream when they realize who it is.
This is hardly a clandestine getaway. Chapo couldn't be more visible right now. They commandeer at gunpoint a sedan right in the middle of the street, pull the driver, throw him out in a takeoff. In the passenger seat of the stolen vehicle, Chapo casts frantically from window to window on the lookout for cop cars and helicopters. The coast is clear for now, but then at the most inopportune moment imaginable,
the unthinkable happens. - And the car breaks down. Chapo Guzman now knows that he is not gonna have a very good day. They commandeer a second sedan. - The owner of the second stolen car reports it to the police immediately. This is vital. The cops now have the physical description they need to issue a statewide alert. Now law enforcement units all over Sinaloa know what they're looking for. They're ready to pounce.
Half an hour's drive south of Los Mochis, the car containing El Chapo screeches to a halt at a roadblock. Police vehicles close in, sirens blaring. The officers approach the car, weapons drawn. Chapo throws his hands up. Immediately, he starts offering bribes. But we're well past that. Chapo is furious when the officers refuse. Instead of taking his cash, they apply the handcuffs. He curses. "You're all going to die," he tells them.
The police take photographs of Guzman and send the images back to headquarters to verify his identity, but no one's in any doubt it's him. At this point, Chapo realizes the game really is up.
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They remain very quiet. They're very sullen. Chapo Guzman's t-shirt is covered in urine and feces. And the police decide to take him to a hotel because they're afraid that the Sinaloa cartel is going to come very quickly and try to have him taken away.
Outside the hotel, Chapo is duckwalked in front of the gleeful press photographers. They've got him in custody. It's not like Chapo has an escape before. Now more than ever, the harsh lessons learned from previous prosecutions need to be applied. Chapo Usman knew that he had already bribed his way out of two maximum secure penitentiaries. So to him,
Discretion was the better part of valor, so he gave himself up. He figured, "Well, you know, I'll just pry my way a third time out of prison." But that was not the case. By this point, the Mexican government has decided that keeping Chapo in Mexico is just not a viable option. They simply can't guarantee he'll stay behind bars. The decision is taken to transport him to a prison right across the border from El Paso, Texas. He's kept there for several months,
Then finally, he is extradited to the United States. In many ways, it would be preferable for Chapo Guzman to stand trial once again in Mexico. His narcotics empire may be global, but it's Mexico, far more than any other country, that bears the scars. But such is Chapo's hold over the political and legal systems, it's unrealistic to think a knockout blow could be landed on home soil. Look what happened last time. Chapo broke out of the most secure jail in the land with relative ease.
So instead, it's off to New York City. He was sent to the Metropolitan Correctional Facility in New York City. So that's when he sent a message to his wife to bring him clothes. And then he also used mustache and hair dye
as a means of vanity, because he was 32 years older than she was, and he wanted to give the appearance that he was younger. And I'm sure that he wanted to give the appearance of being a handsome man because he knew of the worldwide coverage that his trial was going to garner. We've come full circle, all the way back to the criminal trial where this story began.
He was taken to court in a massive convoy of policemen. They had snipers up on the rooftops and the security, there would be no more security for a Nazi war criminal. The spotlight falls on a Brooklyn courtroom as a short guy with a mustache is led in to answer for some of the most heinous crimes committed in the pursuit of fame and riches.
But Chapo Guzman himself is actually feeling pretty jolly. After years on the run looking over his shoulder, it's something of a relief to have control of his destiny taken out of his own hands.
He was pretty jovial, you know, especially when he'd see his wife, Emma Coronel, sitting in the courtroom. And he would smile and, you know, blow her kisses. And he really was pretty happy during the trial. You know, he kept quiet. As proceedings get underway, the weight of evidence presented by the prosecution is staggering.
The trial lasted 200 hours. There were 56 witnesses that testified against Chapo Guzman. A lot of them were prior associates. The brother of his lieutenant, Mayo Zambada, Jesus Zambada, testified against them. Mayo Zambada's son, Vicente Zambada, also testified against them. The evidence was just overwhelming.
The evidence that was presented in court would have sunk the Titanic. The defense only presented one witness, and that was an FBI agent, and that was his total defense. Extradition was Chapo's worst nightmare, and it's happened. Now, he's resigned to his fate. He had a pretty good run, in any case.
Most drug lords in Mexico, Colombia, or wherever usually come from tremendous poverty. And what they believe in is that it's better to live one good year than 10 bad ones.
They know sooner or later there's only going to be a fork in the road that will lead to death or also to prison. But they're willing to take those risks to have a better life, even if it's for a very short period of time. The drama isn't over yet. On just the first morning of the trial, the judge announces that two members of the jury are to be replaced. Standing in judgment over El Chapo is tough going.
One of these jurors is racked with anxiety brought on by her appointment to the case. With the jury reconfigured, jaw-dropping moment follows jaw-dropping moment as the trial unfolds and the extent of Chapo's wealth is laid bare. His assets include a private zoo, a beach house worth $10 million, and a home in every state in Mexico. He even has a private yacht named after himself. It's called Chapito, or Little Chapo.
Chapo is in no mood to hold his hands up and apologize. He's going to use his time on the front pages and in the news bulletins to cement his criminal legacy and his cult of personality. Chapo's interpreter sweats as they translate the defendant's tirades. He's been denied a fair trial. The US is as corrupt as any other country. He has nothing to apologize for. Assistant US Attorney Gina Parlovecchio rises to her feet.
She points directly at Joaquin Guzman and declares that of all the criminals she's ever encountered, he is by far the most deserving of a life sentence. Who else has exemplified such violence? Such greed? For much of the trial, Chapo's wife, Emma Cornell, simply looks bored. Even when her husband's former mistress is called to the witness stand, Emma barely bats an eyelid.
For those present at the trial, the impact of Chapo's career on the lives of others, when laid out systematically in a court of law, takes the breath away. The drug war in Mexico has killed upwards of 100,000 individuals over the last decade alone. At the center of this bloodbath, who's Mon himself. This is someone who according to one witness, buried multiple men alive. Another witness tells the story of a rival cartel chief who was brutally murdered simply for refusing Chapo's handshake.
In just four shipments, Chapo could supply the equivalent of a line of cocaine for every single person in the United States. It's even alleged he paid a bribe of $100 million to former President Peña Nieto when he took office in 2012. Any kind of glamour that surrounds Chapo is obliterated. The official court papers accuse him of drugging and raping girls as young as 13. He supposedly referred to them as his vitamins. That's the kind of person we're dealing with.
It's not remotely surprising to anyone when the guilty verdict arrives. When Chapo Guzman was found guilty in federal court, you know, he was quiet. He didn't show any emotion. And I felt that the rule of law had been instituted. Blind may be justice, but she certainly has a long reach.
On July 17th, 2019, Joaquin Guzman Loera is sentenced to life in prison, plus 30 years. In addition, he's ordered to relinquish $12.6 billion in cash and assets. He's taken to ADX Florence, a top security penitentiary in Colorado, where he remains to this day. People ask, will Chapo ever escape again?
No, I don't think he will. But then again, if you were to tell me that Rafael Caro Quintero, after he tortured and killed Special Agent Enrique Camarena, was going to walk out of prison and his arrests weren't reissued after he left prison, I would say absolutely no way. That could never happen. But it did. So I better never say never because anything is possible.
The conviction is a huge legal and moral victory for the Mexican authorities and US special agents who've pursued Chapo through thick and thin. But for thousands of Mexican citizens who've lost loved ones in Chapo's campaign of violence, their quest for justice is far from over. To this day, efforts continue to unpick Chapo's complex financial arrangements to make sure he doesn't retain financial firepower in the drug trade.
Chapo was making billions of dollars and it's very difficult to launder those amounts of money. But Chapo Guzman hired a cadre of money laundering specialists. So what they started to do is they started to buy properties. They started to buy shopping centers, dairies. They started to buy ranches, homes.
and they would put a lot of those properties in people's names that were not under scrutiny by law enforcement. So he has got properties throughout Mexico, and probably the only ones at this point in time that know where all those assets are are his wife and then his sons. Chapo is behind bars in America's most secure supermax jail, but it's hardly as if the drug trade grinds to a halt.
The Sinaloa Cartel goes on, under the leadership of Chapo's protege, a man called Ismael Zambada. He is now Mexico's most wanted drug lord. Despite attempt after attempt to take him down, Zambada remains at large. It's believed he may have even undergone plastic surgery to transform his appearance, allowing him to manage his cartel unimpeded. El Chapo is the most high-profile cartel boss to ever stand trial in the US, and along with Pablo Escobar,
He's the most famous narco-trafficker ever to fall. But cocaine production, distribution, and consumption continue, virtually unabated. Heroin, meth, and marijuana production are all on the up.
Subsequent to the conviction and life sentence of Chapo Guzman, we continue our efforts in Mexico because the Sinaloa cartel continues to operate under Mayo Zambada and Chapo Guzman's three sons. There's also other cartels that are supersized, like the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.
So we continue our efforts in that regard. Some people call this the war on drugs. I don't call it the war on drugs because all wars have an end. This is not going to end anytime soon, so I call it the permanent campaign against drugs. And I don't want to just cast stones on Mexico because here in the United States,
We have a problem with demand and it all goes back to the basic and fundamental law of supply and demand. We have the demand. If it's not Mexico, it's not Colombia, it's going to be another country that will fill the void in supplying the drug users here in the United States.
The current president of Mexico, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, was elected to office in late 2018. He inherited a country where the murder rate had more than tripled since 2006. A string of cartel bosses had been killed or jailed. But even so, 2018 was the most violent year on record, with over 32,000 murders. Today, Mexico is one of the Latin American countries worst hit by the coronavirus pandemic. As tens of thousands lose their lives or livelihoods,
the cartels deliver food and medical supplies to remote regions. Playing the role of the state in this way, drug criminals launder their reputations and get citizens onside. From the cartels' twisted viewpoint, the pandemic is an opportunity. Corruption at all levels of government remains systemic in Mexico. With few signs of a fundamental shift in attitudes or approach,
Corruption, for example, in Mexico goes back probably well over a century. And it becomes systemic, especially when you have members of the government that are at a high level and they set the tone and they set the example for others that if so-and-so is taking money, then why should I?
In October 2020, Mexico's former defense minister, Salvador Cienfuegos, is arrested in Los Angeles and accused of corruption and drug trafficking. This is a guy who worked closely with the DEA for years. The indictment of Cienfuegos reopens old diplomatic wounds. President Lopez Obrador complains that the Mexican government is being kept in the dark regarding the arrest. Just weeks later in November, US prosecutors drop the indictments.
It's an extraordinary U-turn. The Washington Post reports that this reversal could be due to the Mexican government threatening to expel DEA operatives unless the Americans abandon the case. The situation around Cienfuegos just goes to show the delicacy of U.S.-Mexico relations and the strain they come under when fighting the narco traffickers. Cooperation between the two nations, nurturing this relationship, remains as vital as it's ever been. Around the same time as Cienfuegos' arrest,
Fighting breaks out in northern Mexico, in El Chapo's former stronghold of Culiacan. On a routine patrol through the city, the security forces detain one of Chapo's sons, but they soon come under heavy fire. They are forced to release Chapo Jr. from custody and bid a hasty retreat. It's valid to point the finger of blame at flaws in Mexican society, but the United States also has a lot to answer for. It's thought that as many as 70% of guns seized by Mexican authorities can be traced back to the US.
It's a two-way street: drugs go one way, guns the other. 75% of the weapons that are being used in Mexico come from the United States. So we all need to do a better job. We need to work together. And without a bilateral working relationship, things would be far worse.
In February 2021, news breaks that Chapo's wife, Emma Coronel, has been arrested at Dulles Airport outside Washington, D.C. She's hit with drug trafficking charges of her own. She's also accused of helping her husband bust out of jail back in 2015. Days later, it emerges that a judge has reduced the life sentence of one of Chapo's key henchmen, a guy called Damaso Lopez. This fuels speculation that Lopez informed on Coronel. We'll have to wait and see how that one turns out.
The fallout from El Chapo's incarceration will carry on making headlines, as his cronies and underlings rise, fall, and turn on one another. Meanwhile, young, tech-savvy traffickers will fight for the spoils and carry the drug trade into the digital age. Today, parts of Mexico remain riddled with terrifying levels of drug-fueled violence. In no small part, that violence revolved for 30 years around a single man.
But while Chapo Guzman may be out of the game, even his story is only part of a much bigger, ongoing saga. A saga that shows no signs of concluding anytime soon. This episode marks the end of Real Narcos Season 2. But never fear, there's more content from Noiser Podcast waiting for you. If you're a fan of Real Narcos, then trust me, you've got to check out Real Dictators.
It's the show that explores the hidden lives of history's tyrants, including Joseph Stalin, Chairman Mao, and Kim Jong-il. Season two has just started, kicking off with the story of Adolf Hitler's early years. This is history as you've never heard it before. Just search Real Dictators wherever you get your podcasts and hit subscribe. We'll be back with some special episodes, delving into more drug-busting missions around the world. So stay tuned. Head to Noiser.com and you can download the Real Narcos soundtrack for free
