El Chapo Guzman

Abstract

In the 1990s, the Mexican Sinaloa Drug Cartel emerged to be one of the major traffickers of cocaine and heroin into the United States. Named by Forbes Magazine as one of the World’s Billionaires for four consecutive years since 2009, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman has run the drug cartel like a franchise. The Sinaloa Drug Cartel’s success can be traced to El Chapo’s tactics in remaining focused on moving illegal narcotics, rather than diversifying their revenue into prostitution, kidnapping or extortion, unlike other organizations. The Sinaloa Drug Cartel has also aligned themselves with local affiliates by incorporating them into the distribution chain allowing them to create a massive enterprise. Even with a 3.8 million dollar reward from Mexico, and a 5 million dollar reward from the United States for his capture, El Chapo Guzman has managed to escape from authorities twice. Additionally, he has never stepped foot in Chicago but has managed to be named, “Public Enemy Number One” in 2013 by the Chicago Crime Commission. Within the Mexican population, especially those from Sinaloa, El Chapo Guzman’s influence and power have compared him the fairy tale like figure of “Robin Hood” because he steals from the rich and gives to the poor. There is no doubt that power and money can always buy protection.

Taking Down a Notorious Drug Dealer: Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman

Perhaps Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman could identify himself with the words expressed by the Greek Philosopher Aristotle, “It is not easy for men to rise whose qualities are thwarted by poverty. Poverty is the parent of revolution and crime.” Being born into a poor family, El Chapo dropped out of school and began working as an opium poppy farmer. With few work opportunities he cultivated his own marijuana plantation at age 15 to support his family. By the age of 20 he joined a cartel, his ambition and pragmatic serious approach in drug trafficking operations allowed him to rise rapidly to...