El Chapo, whose real name is Joaquín Guzmán Loera, was born on April 4, 1957, in the rugged state of Sinaloa, Mexico. He grew up in poverty on a small farm, where he began his life of crime by cultivating marijuana and poppy fields. As a young man, he joined the Guadalajara Cartel, one of Mexico's most powerful drug trafficking organizations. It was here that El Chapo learned the ins and outs of the drug trade and quickly rose through the ranks to become a top lieutenant.
After the leader of the Guadalajara Cartel was killed in 1989, El Chapo took control of the cartel and founded his own organization, the Sinaloa Cartel. Under his leadership, the cartel became one of the most ruthless and powerful drug trafficking organizations in the world, responsible for smuggling large quantities of drugs into the United States and other countries.
El Chapo's power and influence in the criminal underworld were so great that he made the Forbes list of most powerful people in 2009 and maintained his position on the list for several years after. His wealth and power were legendary, with estimates of his net worth reaching into the billions of dollars.
Despite his wealth and power, El Chapo's criminal activities eventually caught up with him. In 1993, he was arrested in Guatemala and extradited to Mexico, where he was sentenced to 20 years in prison for drug trafficking. However, in 2001, he managed to escape from prison by bribing prison guards and went on the run.
For the next 13 years, El Chapo evaded capture, becoming a folk hero in Mexico and a thorn in the side of the Mexican and US governments. He was finally recaptured in 2014 and sent back to prison, only to escape again in 2015 through a mile-long tunnel that had been dug into his prison cell.
During his time on the run, El Chapo agreed to be interviewed by actor Sean Penn and Mexican actress Kate del Castillo in October 2015. The circumstances of the interview, which took place in a remote jungle hideout, caused a stir when it was published in Rolling Stone magazine in January 2016. Many criticized Penn for giving El Chapo a platform to air his views, while others condemned the drug lord for his crimes.
In January 2016, El Chapo was captured for the third time by Mexican authorities and extradited to the United States to face trial on a number of criminal charges, including drug trafficking, money laundering, and conspiracy to commit murder. In 2019, he was found guilty on all counts and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Despite his imprisonment, El Chapo's legacy as one of the most powerful and infamous drug lords in history lives on. His story serves as a cautionary tale of the dangers of the drug trade and the lengths to which some will go to amass wealth and power.
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