The world’s most-wanted drug trafficker, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, has narrowly escaped capture in his stronghold in the Sinaloa sierra.
Federal government officials said Mexican Marines spotted Guzman and his bodyguards during a military operation in a remote mountainous region of Sinaloa earlier this month. He evaded arrest after falling down a small cliff, apparently breaking his leg and bruising his face in the process.
According to some news agency reports, local residents accused the marines of shooting at them indiscriminately, as well as their properties and vehicles, and chasing them into the woods. The Mexican Navy disputes these claims, and says the operation was conducted with the utmost respect for human rights.
Meanwhile, eight people have been arrested and accused of aiding Guzman in his brazen escape from a maximum security prison in July. They include his brother-in-law and two pilots, one who flew Guzman to Sinaloa after his jail break, and another who flew a Cessna to a different location as a decoy.
There are 34 outstanding arrest warrants against government officials and others suspected of assisting El Chapo.
