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Public Enemy No. 1

 
The Chicago Crime Commission is pleased to announce the arrest of Joaquín Guzmán Loera, aka “El Chapo”, leader of Sinaloa Drug Cartel and the Commission's Public Enemy No. 1.  El Chapo was arrested on Saturday, February 22 in a hotel located in Mazatlan, a coastal city in the state of Sinaloa, Mexico.   

The Commission officially joined forces with the DEA Chicago Field Division in 2013 when we put the spotlight on Joaquín Guzmán Loera, aka “El Chapo" by dignifying him as Chicago’s Public Enemy Number One.  Chapo is wanted in Chicago on charges for participating in international drug trafficking conspiracies in collaboration with 35 other defendants. He is the leader of the notorious Sinaloa drug cartel and is accused of having used Chicago as his drug trafficking hub for the Midwest, allegedly having trafficked 1,500 to 2,000 kilograms of cocaine through Chicago per month. The Northern District of Illinois seeks the forfeiture of more than $1.8 billion in cash proceeds in the indictments against him.
 
The Commission first designated the title to Al Capone in 1930, and up until recently had yet to witness a criminal worthy of the same moniker. El Chapo has easily surpassed the carnage and social destruction that was caused by Capone. We are proud of our effort for having raised public awareness in regards to this criminal and his responsibility for the countless drug-related deaths in the Chicago metropolitan area.  We are more proud of the collaborating between United States and Mexican law enforcement agencies that ultimately led to his arrest.  We are confident that this man will finally face justice for his heinous crimes.