Mexico's Most Notorious Drug Lord Captured in Mazatlan

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Mexican drug lord Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman, leader of Mexico's most dangerous drug cartel Sinaloa, is seen here in 1993. He was captured Saturday in Mazatlan, Mexico, according to multiple reports.

Image: Damian Dovarganes/Associated Press

By Kurt Wagner2014-02-22 18:49:55 UTC

U.S. officials claimed a major victory in the war on drugs Saturday with the capture of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, Mexico's most notorious drug lord, according to the Associated Press .

Guzman is the head of the Sinaloa cartel, Mexico's richest and most powerful drug operation responsible for smuggling "tons of cocaine and marijuana" into the United States, the Los Angeles Times reported. Guzman was captured at a hotel in the Mazatlan resort area on the Pacific Coast.

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Police had been chasing Guzman for 13 years since the drug lord escaped from a Guatemalan prison in 2001, but the pursuit had picked up in recent weeks with a number of arrests from the Sinaloa cartel. Police were able to capture Guzman without firing a shot, the Associated Press reported.

Guzman has earned a fortune as Mexico's most notorious drug lord. Forbes lists "El Chapo" as one of the world's "Most Powerful People," and included him on the 2012 billionaires list. Earlier this month, Chicago named Guzman "Public Enemy No. 1," a title originally created for Al Capone, because the Sinaloa cartel smuggles the majority of its narcotics into the Windy City.

The New York Times reported that Guzman had attained "near-mythic status" in Mexico. He was known to operate with more than 300 armed men as his security detail, and even picked up the tab for entire restaurants full of people "so diners would remain silent about his outings."

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Topics: drug lord, drug trafficking, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, mexico, sinaloa cartel, U.S., US & World, World