13 Mexican officials held for trial over El Chapo's prison break
Mexico is set to try 13 public officials in connection with the escape from prison of drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, Mexican judicial authorities say.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Mexican court officials said that among those held for trial are the former coordinator general of the country’s federal prisons, as well as the former director general, the commander and several control room monitors of the Altiplano prison, where Guzman broke out from in July.
Eleven individuals are reported to be held at the same maximum-security prison as the drug kingpin was held. Two others, reportedly women, are being held at a prison in the Pacific state of Nayarit.
Guzman escaped the prison on July 11, using a 1.5 kilometer-long tunnel dug into his cell.
Footage from the security cameras inside his cell showed the Sinaloa Cartel kingpin walking in the tunnel in his shower area before disappearing.
This was El Chapo’s second successful prison break. He escaped from another maximum-security facility in 2001, while hiding in a laundry basket after bribing officials.
Million-dollar bounty
The Mexican government has announced a reward of up to 60 million pesos (USD 3.8 million) in reward for information that could lead to the kingpin’s whereabouts.
The US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is also offering a USD five-million bounty for details leading to the capture of the cartel leader.
Founded in 1980s, the Sinaloa Cartel is an international criminal organization based in Mexico, which is a major smuggler of illegal drugs into the US.
The group, also known as the Blood Alliance, is often referred to as the most powerful cartel in the Western hemisphere. The cartel is said to control much of the flow of cocaine and marijuana to the US.
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