El Chapo’s Associate Caught
May 4, 2017 | Expert Insights
Will this send a message to the drug cartels of Mexico?
On 2nd May 2017 Mexican authorities announced the capture of Dámaso López who is considered to be the right-hand man of El Chapo. El Chapo the drug lord who controlled the Sinaloa Cartel is now facing charges in the USA after being extradited in January.
Who is El Chapo?
Joaquín Archivaldo Guzmán Loera alia El Chapo is a Mexican drug kingpin who headed the Sinaloa Cartel after the arrest of Osiel Cárdenas of the Gulf Cartel in 2003. The Sinaloa Cartel dealt with international drug trafficking, money laundering and organised crimes. The cartel was considered to be "the most powerful drug trafficking organization in the world” by the United State Intelligence Community.
It is also associated with the “Golden Triangle” that is Sinaloa, Durango, and Chihuahua region. The National Drug Intelligence Centre stated that the Cartel was responsible for distribution of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, marijuana and MDMA in the USA. Also the U.S. Attorney General held the Sinaloa Cartel responsible for importing into the United States and distributing nearly 200 tons of cocaine and large amounts of heroin between 1990 and 2008.
El Chapo was considered to be "The most ruthless, dangerous, and feared man on the planet” by the US Federal Government. Some reports also suggested that El Chapo’s influence surpassed Pablo Escobar in the drug industry. He was first captured and extradited to Mexico with a 20 year prison term in 1993. However, in 2001 he escaped from the prison. He was arrested for the second time in May 2014 but managed to escape via an underground tunnel in 2015. He was finally captured and extradited to the US on January 2017. He is now facing charges for drug trafficking in the USA.
Analysis
It is believed that El Chapo accumulated a fortune while operating the Sinaloa Cartel. He was named as the 10th richest man in Mexico (1,140th in the world) in 2011. US authorities have estimated his assets to be around $14 billion. Ted Cruz – the senator from Texas and former presidential candidate, introduced the “El CHAPO Act,” which use the $14bn to fund construction of Trump’s proposed border wall. But according to Mexican authorities, US have not been able to find a single penny of El Chapo’s fortune. The competence of the government and the police has been questioned in this regard.
Assessment
The capture of López could bring about a positive impact on the investigations going on against El Chapo. The power struggle between López and El Chapo’s sons over the Cartel’s territory has weakened the Cartel’s influence in the “Golden Triangle” region. But the capture however could act as a boost for El Chapo’s sons to gain authority over the Cartel. López who is believed to have helped El Chapo escape prison in 2001, can shed some light on the hidden assets and the details of the Cartel. López’s greed for authority and power can be exploited to get information of El Chapo’s sons and this could be used to disable the Sinaloa Cartel and its influence in the US and Mexico.
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