Last week, Texan Republican Ted Cruz made headlines worldwide when he suggested that Donald Trump’s proposed Mexican border wall be bankrolled by an international drug dealer.
The man in question, Joaquin Guzman Loera – a.k.a ‘El Chapo’ – is no stranger to global news. Arrested three times for everything from money laundering to murder, El Chapo was finally apprehended last year after a improbable meeting with Hollywood actor Sean Penn in a dramatic raid on his western Mexico ranch.
El Chapo was first drawn into the world of drugs as a child, when his cattle rancher father was allegedly an opium poppy farmer on the side. After being kicked out of his house as a teenager, the would-be criminal gained his nickname – ‘El Chapo’ means ‘shorty’, slang referring to the drug lord’s 5’6” stature.
ivan y vienen rumores pic.twitter.com/LjJhoDHSqh
— Ivan Guzman (@_IvanGuzman_) March 24, 2014
In the 1970s, the leading crime syndicate in Mexico was the Guadalajara Cartel, and El Chapo’s early forays into the trade saw him working for drug lord Hector Palma, overseeing the transport of drugs from Sierra Madre to the United States.
It was in these formative years in which El Chapo established himself as an ambitious ‘businessman’, and building a reputation as a serious and violent businessman. Reportedly, if smugglers’ shipments were not on time, El Chapo would shoot them in the head.
In 1989, after making a name for himself in the criminal underground, El Chapo cut ties with previous cartels and formed the Sinaloa Cartel – the organisation that would eventually make him his billions.
To this day the most active cartel in Mexico, El Chapo’s activities within the organisation first landed him in jail in 1993. However, after his first prison break in 2001, he resumed leadership. Another raid saw him jailed in 2014 but, again, in 2015 he escaped prison.
para las cokas pic.twitter.com/x4fiJQnI6u
— Ivan Guzman (@_IvanGuzman_) March 22, 2014
The Sinaloa Cartel has a presence in 17 out of the 31 Mexican states, and is primarily involved in the smuggling and distribution of Colombian cocaine, Mexican marijuana, methamphetamine and heroin into the United States.
The methods used were numerous and often ludicrous. From tractor trailers and submarines to fully-sized Boeing 747 cargo planes, El Chapo oversaw an unholy amount of drugs be transported. Last year, however, his comeuppance came when Marines raided his complex in Mexico – in which two armoured cars, eight assault rifles, three grenade launches and multiple supercars were found.
At his height, El Chapo had over $14 billion, and was still making money hand over fist whilst behind bars. Today, the drug lord is thought to have significantly less, but his wealth can still be seen on his son’s social media accounts.
Between smuggling a record 500 tons of cocaine into the United States, El Chapo has had at least ten children with at least 4 spouses, with many of them following him into the drug trade. Last year, prior to their father’s arrest, Ivan and Alfredo, two of El Chapo’s children, posted images of guns, private planes, jungle cats, drink and luxury supercars on their social media.
Mi juguete nuevo pic.twitter.com/PoQs2DXQns
— Ivan Guzman (@_IvanGuzman_) September 20, 2013
But will this stream of decadence dry up if Papa Chapo is made to pay for the Mexican border wall? Only time will tell…
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