By David Amoruso

Sinaloa drug cartel leader Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman has been captured by U.S. and Mexican law enforcement officials. He had been on the run since 2001 when he escaped from a Mexican prison. Guzman is considered to be the most powerful drug lord in Mexico and was even named on Forbes magazine’s 2009 list featuring the world’s most powerful people.

According to CNN, Reuters, and The New York Times, the news was leaked on Saturday by an unnamed senior American law enforcement official. “A Mexican security source confirmed the capture, saying it took place in Mazatlan, a seaside resort in Guzman's northwestern home state of Sinaloa,” Reuters added.

The U.S. official also told CNN that Guzman was accompanied by a female when he was arrested and that the bust was part of “a joint operation with Mexican marines and Drug Enforcement Administration authorities overnight.” He said that the operation had been in the works for four or five weeks.

If the news is true, this arrest is a huge coup for law enforcement on both sides of the U.S. – Mexican border. Guzman was on many Most Wanted lists and marks the 25th drug lord to be killed or captured of the 37 most-wanted organized crime leaders announced in 2010 by Mexican authorities.

The city of Chicago branded him the first “Public Enemy No. 1″ since Al Capone, due to Guzman’s influence on the city’s drug market and subsequent street violence. U.S. authorities offered a $5 million reward for information that led to his capture.

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