DRUGS 23
1-3dq Second runaway and manhunt: 2014–2016
Initial Mexican reactions
The escape of Guzmán triggered a wide-range manhunt. According to Mexico’s National Security
Commissioner Monte Alejandro Rubido García, the manhunt was instituted immediately in the surrounding
area by putting up several checkpoints and air searches by helicopter. The entire prison was put on
lockdown and no one was allowed to enter or leave. The search was then extended to other federal
entities: Mexico City, the State of Mexico, Morelos, Puebla, Guerrero, Michoacán, Querétaro, Hidalgo
and Tlaxcala. However, most of the military officers involved in the search were sent to the State of Mexico.
The Mexican government also issued an international warning to prevent Guzmán from escaping the
country through airports, border checkpoints, or ports. Interpol and other security organizations were
alerted to the possibility of him escaping into another country. Flights at the Toluca International Airport
were cancelled, while soldiers occupied parts of Mexico City International Airport. Out of the 120 employees
that were working at the prison that night, eighteen employees from the prison were initially detained for
questioning; those eighteen worked in the area of Guzmán’s cell. By the afternoon, a total of 31 people had
been called in for questioning. The director of the prison, Valentín Cárdenas Lerma, was among those
detained.
When the news of the escape broke out, President Peña Nieto was heading to a state visit in France along
with several top officials from his cabinet and many others. The Secretary of the Interior Miguel Ángel Osorio
Chong, who was already in France waiting for them, returned to Mexico after learning of Guzmán’s prison
break. Peña Nieto returned to Mexico on 17 July. In a press conference, Peña Nieto said he was very
shocked by Guzmán’s escape, and promised that the government would carry out an intensive investigation
to see if officials had collaborated in the prison break. In addition, he claimed that Guzmán’s escape was
an “affront” to the Mexican government, and that they would not spare any resources in trying to recapture
him. Peña Nieto, however, was severely criticized for the incident, and media outlets pointed out that this
incident was among the administration’s most embarrassing episodes. Critics stated that Guzmán’s escape
highlighted the high levels of corruption within the government, and questioned the government’s ability to
combat the country’s organized crime groups.
Bob Nardoza, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office for the District Court for the Eastern District of New
York, announced that U.S. authorities plan to seek the extradition of Guzmán for several cases pending against
him in New York and other United States jurisdictions.
1-3dr Manhunt and investigation
On 13 July 2015, Osorio Chong met with members of the cabinet that specialize in security and law
enforcement intelligence to discuss the escape of Guzmán, and scheduled a press conference that day.
The objective of the meeting and the conference was to analyze the actions the government employed
to recapture him. Among them were Rubido García, Arely Gómez González, the Attorney General of
Mexico and Eugenio Imaz Gispert, head of the Center for Research and National Security. At the press
conference, the government placed a $60 million MXN bounty (approximately US$3.8 million) for
information that leads to Guzmán’s arrest.
A number of officials were indicted; of these, three were police officers employed within the Division of
Intelligence, and another two were employed by CISEN.
1-3ds Colombian assistance
Officials of the Mexican government appealed to three Colombian Police retired generals for assistance
in the closure of issues relating to Guzmán, according to a report dated to 1 August 2015. Among them
is Rosso José Serrano, a decorated officer and one of the masterminds behind the dismantling of the Cali
Cartel and Medellín Cartel and Luis Enrique Montenegro, protagonist in the arrests of Miguel and Gilberto
Rodríguez Orejuela. They suggested particular Colombian strategies like creation of special search units
(“Bloques de Búsqueda” or Search Blocs), specialized investigation and intelligence units, like DIJIN
(Directorate of Criminal Investigation and Interpol) and DIPOL (Directorate of Police Intelligence) and
new laws about money laundering and asset forfeiture. After the third capture of Guzmán, it was made
clear that the Government of Colombia had sent a team of 12 officials to assist the Mexican authorities
on tracking down Guzmán.
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