El Chapo Case Draws Mexico Closer to U.S./By AZAM AHMEDJAN
NYT, 11/01/16
MEXICO CITY — Mexico has started letting American agents carry guns on its soil. A special Mexican unit trained by Americans has been revived after stalling because of mistrust and a sense of national pride. American agents are working with Mexican soldiers to seize guns, and the two nations just agreed on a plan to tackle the heroin epidemic.
Even before Joaquín Guzmán Loera, the infamous drug trafficker known as El Chapo, tunneled out of Mexico’s most secure prison over the summer, the Mexican government had begun rebuilding its strained relationship with the United States. But the drug lord’s stunning escape shrank that distance even more, creating a sense of shared urgency that had not existed in years.
“It has been complicated in the past,” said John Kirby, the State Department spokesman. “But more and more, we’re finding common ground and common cause.”
On the run, Joaquín Guzmán Loera hoped to make a movie, but his plan led to his capture, officials said.News Analysis: Theatrics Surrounding El Chapo’s Capture Distract From Mexico’s Real WoesJAN. 10, 2016
A photo released on Friday by a Mexican website, Plaza de Armas, of Mr. Guzmán, who was recaptured in Los Mochis.El Chapo Faces Array of Drug Charges in United StatesJAN. 10, 2016
Joaquín Guzmán Loera, also known as “El Chapo,” was escorted to a helicopter in handcuffs by Mexican soldiers at a federal hangar in Mexico City on Friday.
Mr. Guzmán managed to evade one of the largest manhunts in Mexican history for nearly six months before being recaptured on Friday — and even then, he almost escaped again. He slipped out of a heavily defended compound as Mexican soldiers barreled in before dawn, ducking into an escape route hidden behind a closet and sneaking into the sewers before he was finally caught, officials said Monday.
Soldiers on Sunday patrolling the perimeter of the prison outside Mexico City where Joaquín Guzmán Loera is being held. Credit Reuters
But long before Mr. Guzmán’s embarrassing escapes, the Mexican government had been under pressure to do more against drug violence and impunity.
