World

‘Broken up’: Mexico arrests suspected organizers of 'El Chapo’ jailbreak

Mexico’s government on Wednesday announced the capture of suspects believed responsible for the July prison break by Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman. Attorney General Arely Gomez said the alleged mastermind is a member of Guzman’s legal team who had access to the Altiplano prison near Mexico City, and was able to notify the capo of the operation’s progress and receive instructions. The person also purportedly relayed orders and payments to others involved in the escape. Other suspects arrested included Guzman’s brother-in-law, believed to have supervised construction of the mile-long escape tunnel and organized transportation; a person who negotiated the purchase of the plot of land where the tunnel emerged; and an airplane pilot.

[We] can say that the group responsible for planning, organizing and carrying out the escape from the outside has been broken up. Attorney General Arely Gomez

Guzman, the head of the Sinaloa drug cartel, escaped from a maximum-security prison in July through a tunnel leading from the shower in his cell. The escape has caused a major embarrassment for President Enrique Pena Nieto, who has pledged to recapture Guzman.