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Friday, 27 May 2011 12:02
Druglord 'El Chapo' Moves Operations to Argentina: Reports
Quoting an anonymous source in the Argentine government, Noticias Argentinas said that Guzman began living in the country with his wife and stepdaughter in 2010. The fugitive only moved on early this year after being alerted that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) was pursuing an arrest order, according to the report, traveling to Paraguay, Colombia, and then Europe.
The allegation, which has not been independently confirmed, conflicts with the image of Guzman holed up in Mexico’s Sierra Madre mountains, protected by loyal gunmen and friendly locals. Reports of the Sinaloa kingpin going abroad have emerged periodically, but never to the extent of the latest story, which has him traveling from country to country with his family.
The appeal of Argentina for drug syndicates is rooted in a number of factors. With its long coastline and busy port system, Argentina is a valuable source of important precursor chemicals for synthetic drugs from Asia. The relative weakness of state institutions in much of its territory means that capos have little trouble in corrupting officials. Guzman, for example, was reportedly tipped off about the DEA order by a collaborator in the Argentine government. Furthermore, with more than 40 million citizens, the country also provides a significant retail market for drugs.
Thursday, 09 June 2011 08:02
'El Chapo' in Guatemala?
Guatemala's president says intelligence information indicates that fugitive Mexican drug lord Joaquin Guzman, alias 'El Chapo,' is moving between Honduras and Guatemala.
President Alvaro Colom said that "five or six times" he has heard intelligence or rumours about Guzman's presence in his country, reports Prensa Libre.
"If we haven't caught him, it's only because the information has not been complete, or has not been in time," Colom said in a press conference.
“When we know [where he is] we will capture him. Last time he was supposedly around Zacapa, and there was nothing, we completely combed the area, and he wasn't to be found."
Honduras' defense minister denied the claim, saying that there was no evidence that Guzman was in the country.
The Sinaloa Cartel has an expanding presence in Guatemala.
Guzman has been on the run since escaping from a Mexican prison in 2001. Rumours have flown about his whereabouts; he was long thought to be living in Durango, west Mexico, and recent reports said he was living in Argentina until March 2011, before leaving for Colombia, Paraguay, and Europe.