Too tough for El Chapo.
UPDATE: Here’s Don Winslow’s analysis of what went down, why — and what may happen next. As always, good stuff.
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Mexican Marines captured drug cartel kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman in a raid on an apartment complex in the Sinoloan coastal town Los Mochis today.
The Mexican Marines (Mexican Naval Infantry) are a crack outfit — well-trained and highly-capable. More importantly, they seem to be exceptionally resistant to penetration and subversion by the cartels. Remember, Los Zetas started when some Mexican Special Forces operators decided they’d do better in the narcotics trade. They brought their skill-set and an unprecedented level of savagery to the game. So, having a unit of badass Untouchables to take on the cartels is extremely important.
The Marines were acting on a tip (somebody ratted Guzman out; the price of being a dangerous psychopath).
They stormed Guzman’s safehouse, killing five and arresting six.
El Chapo (The Short Guy) has escaped twice from prison, so we’ll see if this capture sticks. It’s a mark of the Marines’ professionalism that they didn’t just cap the bastard and be done with him.
Respect.
Norman Andrews says
It’s a mark of the Marines’ professionalism that they didn’t just cap the bastard and be done with him.
That might yet prove to be a mistake .
Norm.
JimC says
Yep. Maybe this time they’ll extradite him….
Traven Torsvan says
Very likely, the funniest thing is they’re sending him back to the same prison he escaped.
JimC says
Yeah, we’ll see how THAT works out.
Paul McNamee says
One of my favorite hard rockin’ songs
http://youtu.be/le_e9MRUMUU
JimC says
Guns alumni. I hear they’re reuniting at Coachella. I’m sure Axl will blow that up….
john maddox roberts says
It’s significant that the cartel has a special hatred for the marines. Several have been murdered. The government made the mistake of giving one marine killed in action a state funeral. This identified him (the marines are supposed to be anonymous, like Delta Force). The dead marine’s family was massacred in retaliation. I hope this has given the marines a very special hatred of the cartels. Sometimes hatred is a really good thing.
JimC says
In this case, a pure, burning hate is just what’s called for. And yet, they didn’t kill Guzman, or even hurt him. That’s pro.
john maddox roberts says
Shades of Pancho Villa! Turns out Guzman was trying to get a movie made of his life: hometown poorboy makes good and all that. It contributed directly to his capture. If I wrote something like that I’d be laughed out of my publisher’s office.
john maddox roberts says
Shades of Pancho Villa! It seems Chapo was trying to get a movie made of his life: hometown poorboy makes good, that sort of thing, and it led directly to his capture. If I tried to write something like that, I’d be laughed out of my publishers’s office.
JimC says
Oh, that’s great.
Keith West says
There’s a Somali pirate that the French captured that way a few years back. They contacted his lieutenant claiming to be movie producers who wanted to make a biopic about his life and wanted to hire him as a consultant, and could the lieutenant please put them in contact with the pirate. When the pirate stepped off the plane in France, they nabbed him. I’ve always wondered how much the lieutenant knew about what was really going on…
JimC says
The Vanity Gambit.
john maddox roberts says
Speaking of Pancho, 100 years ago today, Villa’s men stopped a train at Santa Ysabel and executed 16 (or 18) American mining engineers.
JimC says
Posting on that RIGHT NOW, as a matter of fact….