Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán is a well-known Mexican drug lord and former leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, an international crime syndicate. His life narrative is one of daring, money, and notoriety. In this article, we’ll look at El Chapo Net Worth, his early years, criminal career, and personal life.
El Chapo Net Worth
| Nickname: | El Chapo, El Rapido, El Señor, El Tio, El Rapido, El Jefe |
| Real Name: | Joaquín Archivaldo Guzmán Loera |
| Net Worth: | $1 billion |
| Birthplace: | La Tuna, Badiraguato Municipality, Sinaloa, Mexico |
| Weight: | 75 kg |
| Sexual Orientation: | Straight |
| Marital Status: | Married |
| Spouse: | Emma Coronel Aispuro |
| Children: | Ovidio, Iván, Édgar, Alfredo, Joaquín, César, Griselda, Alejandrina, Kim Dolci, Laisha, Email, Maria |
| Girlfriend: | None |
| Date of Birth: | April 4, 1957 |
| Gender: | Male |
| Height: | 1.68 m |
| Profession: | Drug Lord |
| Nationality: | Mexican |
| Source of Wealth: | Smuggling |
| Education: | Academia María Reina |
| Father: | Emilio Guzmán Bustillos |
| Mother: | María Consuelo Loera Pérez |
| Brother: | Miguel Ángel, Aureliano, Arturo, Emilio |
| Sister: | Armida, Bernarda |
Early Years
Joaquín Guzmán Loera was born on April 4, 1957, in La Tuna, Badiraguato Municipality, Sinaloa, Mexico. He grew up in a poor agricultural family. His father physically abused him, but it was through him that he got into the drug trade. As a youngster, he joined the Guadalajara Cartel and learnt the nuances of drug trafficking.
Career
In the 1980s, the Guadalajara Cartel, commanded by Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo, Rafael Caro Quintero, and others, dominated Mexico’s criminal network. El Chapo, also known as Joaquín Guzmán, began working for drug lord Héctor “El Güero” Palma, managing shipments from Sierra Madre to the US-Mexico border. Guzmán, renowned for his ambition and brutality, dazzled cartel bosses and eventually worked directly with Félix Gallardo, arranging cocaine shipments from Colombia to Mexico and finally to the United States.
During this period, Mexican traffickers worked as intermediaries for Colombian gangs, transporting cocaine into the United States over the Mexican border. However, by the mid-1980s, rising US law enforcement pressure had switched authority to Mexican cartels, giving them considerable dominance in the drug trade. Despite DEA attempts, drug trafficking continued, resulting in Félix Gallardo’s arrest in 1989 and the subsequent split of territory among other cartels, including the Tijuana Cartel, Juárez Cartel, and Sinaloa Cartel, which was commanded by Guzmán.
Guzmán’s ascension to power was marred by violence, including clashes with the Tijuana Cartel, which resulted in countless fatalities for both sides. The dispute became violent, with assassination attempts, retaliatory killings, and attacks on each other’s houses. Guzmán’s deliberate use of violence and connections enabled him to consolidate control over drug routes and extend his operations, pioneering measures such as the use of sophisticated tunnels for smuggling.
1993-2000
Guzmán was caught in Guatemala in 1993, amid growing unrest and an assassination attempt that ended in the murder of a cardinal, and deported to Mexico, where he was imprisoned. Despite his detention, Guzmán maintained his cocaine empire through bribery, running his cartel from prison. His luxurious jail lifestyle and sustained influence solidified his image as a major international drug trafficker.
Throughout his incarceration, Guzmán’s cartel prospered, with his brother Arturo Guzmán Loera in charge of operations. Despite his incarceration, Guzmán’s legacy of brutality and power persisted, influencing the Mexican drug trade for years to come.
At the time of his arrest, Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, the Sinaloa Cartel boss, was the most powerful and wealthy person in Mexico’s drug trafficking. His organization trafficked massive amounts of cocaine, methamphetamine, marijuana, and heroin from Colombia via Mexico to the United States using a variety of methods. Guzmán took over cartel leadership in 1995, following the arrest of his predecessor, Héctor Luis Palma Salazar. Ismael Zambada García, a close acquaintance, became his senior deputy.
Guzmán’s power extended beyond drug trafficking; he was suspected of paying politicians, notably Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, to gain security and control over narcotics transshipment routes. His criminal business made him a millionaire and one of Mexico’s wealthiest persons.
Under Guzmán’s leadership, the Sinaloa Cartel increased its activities, notably methamphetamine manufacture. Guzmán used the fall of other gangs and the Mexican government’s campaign to increase his organization’s control over the drug trade.
2001-2014
His initial escape from jail in 2001 required intricate preparation and bribes of prison authorities. Despite several attempts to apprehend him, Guzmán remained elusive, hiding in distant locations known as the “Golden Triangle.” His ability to avoid police enforcement for more than a decade gained him legendary status in Mexican criminal mythology.
Guzmán’s clashes with other gangs, including the Juárez Cartel and the Beltrán Leyva Cartel, resulted in massive violence and murder. He was accused of coordinating the arrests of rival cartel leaders and forming connections with certain factions to advance his own goals.
Guzmán was ultimately apprehended in Mazatlán, Mexico, in 2014, after Mexican officials tracked him down with the help of the DEA and the United States Marshals Service.
Guzmán was arrested and imprisoned in a maximum-security jail, facing drug trafficking and organized crime allegations in both Mexico and the United States. Despite extradition demands from the United States, Mexican officials first stated that they intended to prosecute him domestically. However, in 2015, Guzmán staged a spectacular escape from his cell in a Mexican jail via a tunnel, sparking a worldwide manhunt. His escape shocked the Mexican government by exposing the level of corruption and ineptitude in law enforcement. The government offered a hefty reward for his apprehension, but Guzmán remained at large until his capture in 2016.
The escape exposed corruption among Mexican institutions, resulting in the indictment of numerous authorities implicated in Guzmán’s evasion.
2015-2017
Mexican officials sought help from three former Colombian police generals, notably Rosso José Serrano and Luis Enrique Montenegro, who played key roles in destroying major cartels in Colombia. They proposed implementing measures such as establishing special search units and specialized investigation and intelligence units, as well as drafting new laws governing money laundering and asset forfeiture. Colombia later deployed a team of 12 authorities to help Mexico seek down Guzmán.
Guzmán’s attorneys approached Mexican actress Kate del Castillo in 2014, and she was reportedly pursued by Guzmán himself following his 2015 escape. Guzmán and Sean Penn met with del Castillo for seven hours in the highlands, while Penn conducted an interview for Rolling Stone magazine. The encounter apparently assisted police in locating Guzmán, which resulted in a raid in Tamazula, Durango, however Guzmán escaped.
Guzmán was apprehended again during Operation Black Swan, which took place in Los Mochis, Sinaloa. Citizens’ complaints prompted a month-long monitoring operation in which communications suggested the approaching arrival of a high-priority target. Guzmán and a lieutenant fled through a hidden tunnel, but they were caught after a gunfight. Five shooters were killed, six were detained, and one Marine was injured during the operation.
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos praised the arrest, as did US Attorney General Loretta Lynch. Mexican officials hailed the capture, with Secretary of the Interior Miguel Ángel Osorio Chong revealing the news to ambassadors, leading to clapping and patriotic shouts.
2021
Emma Coronel Aispuro, Guzmán’s wife, was detained at Dulles International Airport in 2021 on charges of assisting her husband’s cartel activities and arranging his jail escape. She was accused with a conspiracy to distribute narcotics in the United States. Her father and brother have also been arrested on similar allegations. Despite her legal difficulties, Coronel created a clothing business and starred on American reality television in 2019.
Personal Life
El Chapo has been married three times and fathered at least twelve children. He married his first wife, Alejandrina María Salazar Hernández, in 1977 and divorced in 1980. His second wife was Griselda López Pérez, who he married in 1981 and divorced in 1990. His third and current wife is Emma Coronel Aispuro, the daughter of a cartel collaborator, whom he married in 2007.
He has 6 sons: Ovidio Guzmán López, Iván Archivaldo Guzmán Salazar, Édgar Guzmán López, Jesús Alfredo Guzmán Salazar, Joaquín Guzmán López, and César Guzmán Salazar, and 6 daughters: Griselda Guadalupe Guzmán López, Alejandrina Gisselle Guzmán Salazar, Kim Guzman Dolci, Laisha Guzmán, Email Guadalupe, Maria Joaquina.
Guzmán’s drug empire made him a billionaire. At his peak, he was ranked the 10th richest man in Mexico and 1,140th in the world, with a net worth of roughly US$1 billion.
In the United States, he faced charges related to drug trafficking, money laundering, and firearm use. He was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment without parole plus 30 years. His assets, worth more than $12.6 billion, were seized.
Guzmán made it onto the Forbes list of billionaires four times, from 2009 to 2012.
Frequently Asked Questions About El Chapo
1. Who is El Chapo?
El Chapo is a drug lord former leader of the Sinaloa cartel.
2. What crimes is El Chapo known for?
El Chapo is primarily known for his involvement in drug trafficking, including the smuggling of cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine into the United States. He has also been implicated in various other crimes, including money laundering, extortion, and murder.
3. How did El Chapo acquire his wealth?
El Chapo amassed his wealth through his leadership of the Sinaloa Cartel, which controlled a significant portion of the illegal drug trade between Mexico and the United States.
4. How many times did El Chapo escape from prison?
El Chapo escaped from prison twice. The first time was in 2001, when he bribed prison guards and officials to let him out of a maximum-security prison in a laundry cart. The second time was in 2015, when he used a motorcycle to ride through a mile-long tunnel dug under his cell in another high-security prison.
5. What are some of El Chapo’s nicknames?
El Chapo has many nicknames, including “Shorty” (due to his height), “El Rapido” (The Fast One), and “El Jefe” (The Boss).
6. What does El Chapo mean?
El Chapo means “Shorty” in Spanish, a reference to Guzmán’s height of 5 feet 6 inches (1.68 meters).
7. What is the Sinaloa Cartel?
The Sinaloa Cartel is a powerful drug trafficking organization based in the Mexican state of Sinaloa. It is one of the oldest and most influential cartels in Mexico, with a vast network of operations spanning multiple countries.
8. Is El Chapo married?
El Chapo has been married at least three times and has fathered at least 12 children. His first wife was Alejandrina María Salazar Hernández, whom he married in 1977 and divorced in 1980. Chapo’s second wife was Griselda López Pérez, whom he married in 1981 and separated from in 1990. His third and current wife is Emma Coronel Aispuro, whom he married in 2007.
9. Has El Chapo ever been extradited?
Yes, El Chapo was extradited to the United States in January 2017 to face charges related to drug trafficking and organized crime. His extradition marked the culmination of years of legal battles between Mexican and U.S. authorities.
10. How was El Chapo captured?
El Chapo was captured three times by the Mexican authorities. The first time was in 1993, in Guatemala, where he was extradited to Mexico and sentenced to 20 years in prison. The second time was in 2014, in Mazatlán, where he was arrested by Mexican marines with the help of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The third time was in 2016, in Los Mochis, where he was tracked down after a secret meeting with actor Sean Penn and Mexican actress Kate del Castillo.
11. What is El Chapo’s real name?
El Chapo’s full name is Joaquín Archivaldo Guzmán Loera. He has also used several aliases, such as El Rapido, El Señor, and El Tio.
12. Does El Chapo have any siblings?
El Chapo has at six siblings, four brothers and two sisters. His brothers are Miguel Ángel, Aureliano, Arturo, and Emilio. His sisters are Armida and Bernarda.
13. Where is El Chapo now?
El Chapo is being held in a supermax prison in Colorado, known as the “Alcatraz of the Rockies”.
14. How rich was El Chapo?
El Chapo was one of the wealthiest and most influential criminals in the world. He was first recognized on Forbes’ list of billionaires in 2009, with an estimated net worth of $1 billion. His cartel was responsible for supplying nearly half of the drugs consumed in the United States.
15. What is El Chapo’s nickname for his wife?
El Chapo’s nickname for his wife Emma Coronel is “La Reinita” or “The Little Queen” in Spanish.
16. When and where was El Chapo born?
He was born April 4, 1957, in La Tuna, Badiraguato, Sinaloa, Mexico.
17. What kind of drugs did El Chapo smuggle?
El Chapo and his cartel produced and smuggled various kinds of illicit drugs, including marijuana, heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine. They used creative techniques such as tunnels, cans, fire extinguishers, and catapults to transport.
18. Are there any books or movies about El Chapo?
Yes, there have been several books, documentaries, and movies produced about El Chapo and his life of crime. These include “El Chapo: The Untold Story of the World’s Most Infamous Drug Lord” by Noah Hurowitz and the Netflix series “El Chapo.”
Conclusion
El Chapo was a man of contradictions—both feared and admired, ruthless and cunning. His legacy looms large in the annals of organized crime, leaving behind a legacy of fear, fascination, and infamy.
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