Transcript for This day in history: Feb. 22, 2014

We begin tonight with a major victory the arrest of the Mexican drug lord his reach was far and wide he was cruel and forgiving it is ways. And one of his main destinations for his drug trade right here in the United States. Tonight Joaquin Guzman helped topple as he's called seen here during his reign of terror tonight this is what he looks like. Captured as the sun came up this morning at a resort where he was staying. Investigators say it's believed he was helped by American intelligence. In fact in this country he was a wanted man to which Chicago he was labeled public enemy number one because of his drug supply infiltrating that city. Today we have team coverage of how the American intelligence helped in this investigation. Beginning with ABC senior justice correspondent Pierre Thomas in Washington Pierre good evening. David tonight US law enforcement is hailing the arrest of the world's top drug content kingpin. After hunting him for more than a decade. There he is the man known as L chapel. AKA surety who runs the world's largest drug cartel. In handcuffs surrounded by Mexican military officers. Joaquin Guzman Lira the leader of the Sinaloa Mexican drug car tail. Finally back in custody after thirteen years on the run since bribing his way out of prison us. How powerful L chapels cartel is believed responsible for an estimated 25%. Of the drugs entering the US. Marijuana cocaine heroin tens of thousands may have died in the US and Mexico because of him. The overdoses and associated murders sources tell ABC news Al chopper was arrested at 6:40 AM this morning by Mexican Marines. Acting on intelligence provided in part. American immigration and drug enforcement agents he was arrested on the fourth floor of this hotel in a resort town 630 marks from Mexico City. No shots fired the world's most infamous criminal caught in second. Univision conducted the yearlong investigation of L chapels life here by fusion our sister net. Chappel Guzman it's like Osama bin Laden of drug trafficking. It's sharper with part of a network of cartel shipping drugs by the hundreds of tons into the US patent yeah. Yesterday I saw it firsthand that this stuff with border checkpoint the struck of furniture was actually hunting more than a ton of neatly packaged marijuana. There is so much drug traffic coming from Mexican cartels. It has to be destroyed its secret locations like this the impact on America direct. In Chicago L chapel was named public enemy number one and infamous title not used since the gangster Al Capone is cartel. Allegedly responsible for 80% of the drugs in Chicago. Now chapel so rich he made the force magazine billionaires list. This is the major blow to the cartels L chapel was so important but sources tell me it won't likely be fatal. His organization is so huge and interest David. Pierre Thomas leading us off tonight Peter thank you want to bring in investigative reporter Murray out of bed teller from our cable partner fusion tonight because. Mariano we know you've reported extensively on Al chop all we heard from Pierre reporting. But he was responsible for 80% of the drug perhaps even more on the streets of Chicago what he target that city. Happen fourth or fifth largest Mexican population outside of Mexico. And it's also the ideal place a sort of distribute bad drugs across the midwest here in the United States. We saw peer traveled through those tunnels I know you have as well but you pointed out before. That he was extremely creative even be on the tunnels and how we got drugs into the US. Absolutely ending katic all submarines he was it business minded he was creative and really inventive and that's. Some of the ways that he brought drugs into the United States and in fact he used that creativity a little more than a decade ago to escape prison. Yes he escaped from prison and a laundry bag he used some of its connections inside the prison to escape from prison and a laundry bag. And he managed to stay free for thirteen years until now.

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