Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán is the now-imprisoned founder and former leader of the Sinaloa Cartel. He created a vast drug empire by overseeing operations that produced, smuggled, and distributed drugs throughout the USA and Europe.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, at the peak of his power, El Chapo’s net worth was USD 1 billion. Born to Emilio Guzmán Bustillos and María Consuelo Loera Pérez on April 4, 1957, in Sinaloa, Mexico, much of El Chapo’s childhood remains shrouded in mystery. However, he belonged to a poor family. His father was reportedly a cattle rancher. He also had two younger sisters—Armida and Bernarda—and four younger brothers—Miguel Ángel, Aureliano, Arturo, and Emilio.
After years of chase, authorities captured him for the third time in a shootout in January 2016. Earlier, he escaped from jail twice, once in 2001 and again in 2015. As per reports, he is currently serving life imprisonment in the highly secure ADX Florence in Colorado, United States.
In 2017, Netflix released a crime television series titled El Chapo, where Mexican actor Marco de la O played the drug lord. Later on, Alejandro Edda portrayed his character in Netflix’s Narcos: Mexico.
What was El Chapo charged with?
According to ABC News, the jury found El Chapo guilty of violence, murders, and “smuggling of massive amounts of narcotics” into the US over the years. Following the verdict, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent Ray Donovan called Guzman a “ruthless killer” who caused a lot of death and destruction in the US and Mexico. Donovan stated, “He was the man behind the curtain — he pulled all the strings.”
A defense attorney told reporters, “You still have to fight” no matter who your client is. This was a case that was literally, literally, an avalanche of evidence… Everything was left on the battlefield.”
The Sinaloa Cartel’s current leader is Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada.
