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WORLD NEWSMonday 11 January 2016
Mexico: Sean Penn interview helped locate drug lord
E. CASTILLO Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman is escorted by army soldiers to a waiting helicop- He said Guzman wanted
K. CORCORAN ter, at a federal hangar in Mexico City. The recapture of drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman Mexican actress Kate del
Associated Press took a surprise, Hollywood twist when a Mexican official said security forces at one point located Castillo, who facilitated the
MEXICO CITY (AP) — The the world’s most-wanted trafficker thanks to a secret interview with U.S. actor Sean Penn. meeting between the men,
recapture of drug lord Joa- involved in the project.
quin “El Chapo” Guzman (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell) “He was interested in see-
took a surprise, Hollywood ing the story of his life told
twist when a Mexican of- of the clandestine meet- ran away because he was Sinaloa, home of Guzman’s on film, but would entrust its
ficial said security forces ing. But apparently they with two women and child. drug cartel. telling only to Kate,” wrote
at one point located the were not enough. He was able to escape, On Friday, Mexican Attor- Penn, who appears in a
world’s most-wanted traf- A Mexican federal law en- and officials once again ney General Arely Gomez photo posted with the in-
ficker thanks to a secret in- forcement official, speak- apparently lost track of said that Guzman’s con- terview shaking hands with
terview with U.S. actor Sean ing on condition of ano- him. But they finally caught tact with actors and pro- Guzman whose face is un-
Penn. nymity because he was not him Friday at a house in ducers for a possible film covered
Penn’s interview with Guz- permitted to comment on Los Mochis where Mexican about him helped give law There was no immediate
man, who has twice es- the issue, told the Associat- marines nabbed him af- enforcement a lead on response from Penn’s rep-
caped from Mexican maxi- ed Press it was the Penn in- ter a shootout that left five tracking and capturing the resentatives to the Mexican
mum security prisons, ap- terview that led authorities people dead. world’s most notorious drug official’s comments.
peared late Saturday on to Guzman in a rural part of The official said the meet- kingpin. Earlier Saturday, a federal
the website of Rolling Stone Durango state in October. ing between Penn and In the Rolling Stone article, law enforcement official
magazine. It was purport- Authorities who later raided Guzman was held in Tama- Penn wrote that Guzman said that Mexico is willing
edly held at an undisclosed the area decided not to zula, a community in Du- was interested in having to extradite Guzman to the
hideout in northern Mexi- open fire on Guzman as he rango state that neighbors a movie filmed on his life. United States, a sharp re-
co in October, about two versal from the official posi-
months before Guzman’s tion after his last capture in
recapture Friday in Los 2014.
Mochis, Sinaloa, after six But he cautioned that
months on the run. there could be a lengthy
In the interview, Guzman wait before U.S. prosecu-
defends his work at the tors get their hands on
head of the world’s big- Guzman. “You have to go
gest drug trafficking orga- through the judicial pro-
nization, one blamed for cess, and the defense has
thousands of killings. When its elements too.”
asked if he is to blame for Top officials in the party of
high addiction rates, he re- President Enrique Pena Ni-
sponds: “No, that is false, eto also floated the idea
because the day I don’t of extradition, which they
exist, it’s not going to de- had flatly ruled out before
crease in any way at all. Guzman’s embarrassing
Drug trafficking? That’s escape from Mexico’s top
false.” In the article, Penn maximum security prison on
describes taking elaborate July 11 — his second from a
security measures ahead Mexican prison.q
