Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman the (Photo : REUTERS)
Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, one of Mexico's most infamous criminals, escaped from prison once again on Saturday, at the Altiplano Federal Prison in Mexico.
According to the National Security Commission, Guzman was last observed through a surveillance video approaching his shower area at around 8:52 Sunday evening. He allegedly went down the tunnel through a hole under the shower of his cell block, CNN reported.
A square hole, 20 by 20 inches, was later found in the shower area of the cell. Guards also found a ladder 32 feet long bridging the cell shower and a tunnel stretching 1,600 yards, about 28-31 inches wide and 5.6 feet high.
The tunnel stretched starting from the prison to a half-built abandoned house, National Security Commissioner Monte Alejandro Rubido told a news conference on July 12, Sunday.
Mexican President Enrique Peña ordered an investigation into whether public officials had a role in Guzman's latest escape, Reuters reported. Mexican government stated that 30 officials were being interrogated at the Attorney General's office. Meanwhile, 18 workers from different parts of the Altiplano prison have also been questioned for investigation.
Through the Sinaloa Drug Cartel, the 60-year old kingpin smuggled drugs that are worth billions of dollars into the US, making him wanted in six different courts in the United States. The cartel is believed to control most of the major drug trade that travels across the U.S. and Mexican border.
Prior to Guzman's recapture in February 2014 at a Mexican beach resort, he remained hidden for 13 years after his breakout from the high-security Puente Grande prison near the city of Guadalajara in 2001. He paid guards to help him sneak out of the prison through a laundry cart.
After being extradited from Guatemala in 1993 to Mexico, Guzman was charged with drug trafficking and served a 20-year sentence. The Mexican police authorities are now under a massive manhunt for him.
