BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION ON MEXICAN DRUG KINGPIN JOAQUIN ‘ EL CHAPO’ GUZMAN

NAME — Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman AGE — 56; Born April 4, 1957 HOME — Since slipping out of prison in 2001 in a laundry truck, he was rumoured to live everywhere from Argentina to Guatemala to almost every corner of Mexico, especially its “Golden Triangle,” a mountainous, marijuana- growing region straddling the northern states of Sinaloa, Durango and Chihuahua. He was reported to move around frequently, using private aircraft, bulletproof SUVs and even all- terrain vehicles.

OCCUPATION — Reputed head of the Sinaloa drug cartel, which controls much of the lucrative traffi cking routes along the U. S. border. Was believed to be the world’s richest and most powerful drug traffi cker. Over the years, his fortune grew to more than $ 1 billion, according to Forbes magazine, which listed him among the “World’s Most Powerful People.”

EARLY CAREER — Guzman grew up poor and was drawn to the money made by the fl ow of illegal drugs through his home state of Sinaloa. He joined the Guadalajara cartel run by Miguel Angel Gallardo and rose quickly through the ranks. After Gallardo was arrested in 1989, the gang split, and Guzman took control of Sinaloa’s operations. Gunmen linked to the Tijuana- based Arrellano Felix cartel attempted to assassinate Guzman at the Guadalajara airport in 1993 but instead killed Roman Catholic Cardinal Juan Jesus Posadas Ocampo.

INDICTMENTS — Guzman had a $ 7 million bounty on his head. A U. S. federal indictment unsealed in 1995 charged Guzman and 22 members of his organization with conspiracy to import more than eight tons of cocaine and money laundering. He has been indicted by federal authorities in the United States several times more since 1996 on charges that he and others conspired to smuggle “multi- ton quantities” of cocaine into the U. S. and used violence, including murder, kidnapping and torture to keep the smuggling operation running. He’s also accused of conspiring to smuggle heroin into the United States and money laundering.