Video purportedly showing 'El Chapo' actually music video set portraying famed cartel leader

A recent video appears to show the most wanted man in the world, Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, partying and relaxing around a group of heavily armed men. A recent video appears to show the most wanted man in the world, Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, partying and relaxing around a group of heavily armed men. Photo: El Blog Del Narco Photo: El Blog Del Narco Image 1 of / 45 Caption Close Video purportedly showing 'El Chapo' actually music video set portraying famed cartel leader 1 / 45 Back to Gallery

A video that surfaced Thursday purportedly showing "the most wanted man in the world," Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, is actually cellphone video from the set of a music video portraying the famed Mexican drug lord.

The allegedly "leaked" video, published by El Blog Del Narco, shows a group of more than a dozen men, many heavily armed and some wearing military fatigues, at a party with a band playing music and a man performing dressage with a horse.

But, as Vanguardia and the Huffington Post reports, the reason many were fooled by the footage is that it came from a Los Titanes De Durango video portraying the drug lord. And, according to Mike Vigil, former DEA chief of international relations and author of Deal, the production crew did their homework.

"Based on several factors, there is a very strong possibility — I would say 90 to 95 percent — that it's (El Chapo) in the video," Vigil said in a phone interview with mySA.com on Thursday before the video's origin was revealed. "I don't know who else it could be."

RELATED: Photos purportedly show Mexican drug cartel boss Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán as a baby

Near the end of the 38-second cellphone footage, the person shooting the video zooms in on a short man with a mustache wearing a baseball cap and a white shirt and drinking a beer.

"It certainly looks like him," said Vigil, adding that several other factors in the video lead him to believe that the man was Guzmán, the head of the Sinaloa cartel that escaped a Mexican max-security prison earlier this year.

RELATED: Report: Mexico knew everything drug cartel boss Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán was up to while in prison

The man is at the center of the group, with armed men surrounding him that appear to be body guards.

"Everyone is at his beck and call," Vigil said. "He's right in the middle of the party, almost guest of honor... We know (Guzmán) travels with a large entourage of armed guards... He seems to be about the same height as Chapo," who is known for wearing a baseball cap.

Vigil which documents his time working undercover, said the biggest hesitation he had in confirming the video's authenticity outright is the fact that someone was able to get a video at the party.

"If I'm the most wanted man in the world, I would certainly not allow anyone to be making a video or phone calls around me," he said.

And as it turns out, his hesitation was a red flag.

RELATED: Mexican authorities hunting for escaped drug cartel boss Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán in mountains

Several reports of "El Chapo" appearing in photos or videos since his July escape has surfaced, but most have remained unconfirmed.

Mexican authorities said they closed in on Guzmán in October during a raid at a ranch near Cosala in the Sierra Madre Mountain range after U.S. drug agents had intercepted communications suggesting that the Sinaloa cartel leader was hiding there, NBC News reported.

However, Guzmán and his associates are believed to have escaped the location on ATVs, and law enforcement agencies believe the drug lord suffered facial and leg injuries, according to the outlet.

RELATED: Photos show death and destruction from 10 years of Mexican Drug War

Vigil said Guzmán "feels very safe" in the mountainous region along the Sinaloa-Chihuahua border because "he has a lot of security there from corrupt officials there and the local population idolizes him."

The rough terrain also makes it very difficult for authorities to move without "El Chapo" being tipped off in advance.

The video, though, may be useful for authorities if it turns out to be authentic, he said. The footage could be further analyzed for landmarks, individuals in the group and what type of weapons and entourage he is travelling with would be valuable information.

Regardless, "it will be very difficult for authorities to capture him in that area," Vigil said.

"He could be up there until he dies."

Staff writer Joshua Fechter contributed to this report.

kparker@mysa.com

Twitter: @KoltenParker