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- The most violent drug lord
in history.
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- Part of El Chapo's rise
is just how ruthless he was.
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Innocent people would be caught
in the crossfire.
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- The most secure prison
in Mexico.
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- Chapo's incarcerated
in Altiplano prison,
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which is super-maximum security.
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- It was thought
to be impregnable.
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- And a daring attempt
to break in.
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- A one-mile tunnel.
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How would you be able
to pinpoint where to come up?
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[dramatic music]
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- You can see him pacing back
and forth in the cell,
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and then all of a sudden,
he's gone.
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♪ ♪
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- Some of the greatest stories
ever told start behind bars.
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♪ ♪
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Locked up in the most
notorious prisons
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in the world,
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spied on by guards
and fellow prisoners.
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It takes a devious mind
to find a way out.
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It could lead you to freedom.
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Or it could cost you your life.
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But wouldn't you try,
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when you have nothing left
to lose?
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♪ ♪
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[tense music]
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♪ ♪
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This is an isolation cell
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in Federal Social Readaptation
Center Number Two,
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known as Puente Grande,
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just outside
of Guadalajara, Mexico.
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To escape means overcoming layer
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after layer
of impenetrable walls
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and an army of guards
that outnumber the inmates
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almost two-to-one.
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Seem like overkill?
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Not if you're dealing
with a very special class
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of criminal--the drug lord.
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[helicopter whirring]
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Drug lords have
their own private armies,
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so the walls of Puente Grande
need to be able to withstand
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a full-scale assault
from the outside.
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Above the walls,
armed guards and towers
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keep an eye on everything
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and everyone that comes
and goes from this lock-up.
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Any attempt to get in or out
must avoid their watchful eye.
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- Puente Grande had
a vast surveillance
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and security apparatus.
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It was the place that
narco-criminals were sent.
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It was thought
to be impregnable.
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- This cell is home
to one of the most
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notorious and bloodthirsty
narco-criminals
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of all time...
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Joaquín Guzmán,
known to the world as El Chapo.
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♪ ♪
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He's a billionaire, a murderer,
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and a folk hero.
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To the Mexican government,
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he's just
public enemy number one.
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- El Chapo is the 21st century's
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narco-celebrity
of all narco-celebrities.
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[chatter]
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- If you ask anybody, he's still
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the most feared drug trafficker
in the world.
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There are places in Mexico
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where his name
is just whispered now.
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Part of El Chapo's rise
is just how ruthless he was.
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There were certainly
tens of thousands,
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if not more
that were collateral damage
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as a result
of the raging drug war
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that he was at the center of.
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♪ ♪
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- Joaquín Guzmán starts
growing marijuana in 1972,
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and rises quickly
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in the violent
international drug trade.
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By 1989, he's head
of the infamous
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Sinaloa Cartel.
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But during a bloody turf battle
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with a rival cartel,
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a beloved Catholic bishop
is killed in the crossfire,
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and El Chapo becomes
a wanted man.
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- As a result of this,
the Mexican government
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mounted a massive manhunt.
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[gunfire]
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They finally apprehended him
in Guatemala
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in June 1993.
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And from there, he goes
to Puente Grande prison.
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- But despite the prison's
intense security,
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Puente Grande doesn't
turn out to be
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such a bad place for El Chapo.
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♪ ♪
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Using his reputation
for brute violence,
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plus $2.5 million
worth of bribes,
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he soon makes the prison
a comfortable base
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from which to run his empire.
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- The life that Chapo Guzmán
lived inside Puente Grande
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was almost more luxurious
than the Italian gangsters
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who were locked up,
you know, in "Goodfellas."
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[upbeat music]
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He had his pick of liquor,
lobster, women.
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He was allowed to have visits
not only from his main wife,
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but from his second wife.
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He also had a prison girlfriend.
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He had--he essentially had
free access to telephones.
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And all of this was possible
because he had befriended
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the deputy warden for security
of Puente Grande,
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a guy named Dámaso López.
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[suspenseful music]
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♪ ♪
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López, who,
in exchange for small gifts,
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like cash and a nice house,
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essentially gave Chapo Guzmán
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the run of Puente Grande.
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- At some point, he had paid off
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almost every single official
in the prison.
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- Chapo was still able
to organize drug shipments,
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even though he was within
Puente Grande prison.
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♪ ♪
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- It's at this time
that El Chapo makes
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a brilliant innovation in
the drug-trafficking business.
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- How do you get anything
across what is
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a heavily-patrolled border?
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What if you could evade
detection by going below?
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What if you could construct
an easy pathway from Mexico
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into the United States,
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one that was air conditioned,
one that had lighting,
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one that had
an elaborate railcar system
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that could transport hundreds,
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thousands of kilograms--
Marijuana,
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cocaine, heroin,
methamphetamine?
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Well, if you could
figure that out,
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you'd be a successful man.
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A man who pioneers the use
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of tunnels to transport
narcotics
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across the United States-Mexico
border is El Chapo.
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♪ ♪
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- He employed highly-skilled
architects and engineers
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to design these tunnels for him.
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He managed to maintain
an operation
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that was netting him
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in the neighborhood
of $20 million a month.
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Guzmán's empire grew
almost more than it had
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before he was incarcerated.
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- El Chapo's business savvy
and the intense loyalty
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he instills in his underlings
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keeps the Sinaloa Cartel
running from behind bars.
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But all that is about to change.
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- In the mid to late '90s,
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Mexico is not extraditing
Mexican nationals
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to the United States.
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But something changed
beginning in 2001.
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The Mexican Supreme Court
issued an opinion saying
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that it would
restart extraditions
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of Mexican nationals
to the United States.
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And Chapo was not having it.
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- Hanging around
in his plush prison hideout
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is no longer an option.
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El Chapo is a sitting duck
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if he can't get
out of here--fast.
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- Chapo learns that he has
been charged
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with drug trafficking crimes
here in the United States,
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and he's worried.
He's concerned that
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if he gets extradited
in the United States,
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he's not gonna have
the same ability
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to control his cartel,
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give out instructions,
coordinate drug shipments
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from inside
a U.S. prison cell.
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So he realizes
that he has to get out.
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- El Chapo isn't just
the mastermind
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of an international drug cartel.
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He's also an escape artist.
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♪ ♪
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He knows he needs
to be very careful
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who he confides in
about his plans.
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♪ ♪
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- What you see is,
within a matter of weeks,
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Chapo put together
his escape plan
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from Puente Grande Prison.
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[suspenseful music]
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- He orchestrates a complex
series of getaway vehicles
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to be put in place
for his jail break.
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He threatens the lives of anyone
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who could reveal the plan.
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And of course,
he greases a lot of palms.
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- For this escape,
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he bribed a much
smaller group of officials,
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the idea being
the fewer people that know,
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the less trouble there will be.
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And so ultimately,
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he bribed one of the workers,
a man named Chito.
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♪ ♪
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- It's Chito's job to take
this laundry cart
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out of the prison in a van,
and take the laundry
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to be cleaned
to bring it back to the prison.
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- El Chito, or the Quiet One,
is a perfect accomplice,
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since, in his lowly
janitorial position,
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he's off the radar
of the other guards.
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♪ ♪
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[gate squeaks]
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- The Quiet One opens
his cell door,
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helps him into a cart
of dirty laundry,
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conceals him,
walks him out of the cell.
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- Chapo knows exactly
how many gates
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he has to get through
in order to be free.
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Now, at some point,
Chito lets go of the cart
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in order to ask one of
the guards to open the gate.
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The cart starts rolling back,
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and Chapo winds up
being terrified
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that the cart
is gonna spill over,
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he'll fall out on the floor,
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and he'll be sent
right back to prison.
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But the cart stays upright.
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Chito collects it,
walks out of the prison,
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into the parking lot,
opens the trunk
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of a Chevy Monte Carlo
that El Chapo hops into,
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and then the prison guard
drives him away.
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- He's got a head start,
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thanks to having
the local police
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in his pocket.
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But federal law enforcement
gets word of the escape,
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and the chase is on.
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He still has a long,
dangerous road
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ahead of him to safety.
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♪ ♪
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- He was met by yet another car,
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an armored Volkswagen,
so it is said,
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from which he was driven
to a place
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where he was picked up
in a helicopter.
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The helicopter flew him
to yet another location,
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where Guzmán got into
a third car,
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and made a multi-hour drive
from that secret location
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to Mexico City.
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Arriving in Mexico City,
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Guzmán is said to have looked up
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from the back seat
of the vehicle
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and seen police squad cars
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and motorcycles surrounding him.
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♪ ♪
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- In the complex web of local,
state, and federal police,
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El Chapo can never be 100% sure
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who's clean and who's dirty.
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- He nervously asks his driver,
"What's going on?"
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And he was reassured,
"Don't worry, amigo.
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Those are our police."
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♪ ♪
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- He has his own corrupt
Mexico City police officers
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form, essentially,
a motorcade to prevent
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any other law enforcement
from stopping Chapo,
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and Chapo winds up
going to the safe house
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and essentially
starting up again.
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♪ ♪
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- So the fact that
he was able to escape,
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waltz out of
the maximum-security prison
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00:12:05,224 --> 00:12:07,633
at Puente Grande in 2001
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creates the legend of Chapo
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as the uncatchable,
the untouchable.
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00:12:11,722 --> 00:12:14,566
♪ ♪
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00:12:18,738 --> 00:12:21,647
[dramatic music]
259
00:12:21,732 --> 00:12:25,401
♪ ♪
260
00:12:25,494 --> 00:12:27,403
- After his escape
from this cell
261
00:12:27,488 --> 00:12:29,164
at Puente Grande,
262
00:12:29,248 --> 00:12:31,416
El Chapo manages
to stay out of the grip
263
00:12:31,575 --> 00:12:35,411
of the Mexican government
for more than a decade.
264
00:12:35,496 --> 00:12:38,831
- Even though El Chapo
is living as a fugitive
265
00:12:38,916 --> 00:12:41,092
in the remote mountain hideouts
266
00:12:41,177 --> 00:12:44,253
that he has carved out
of these valleys and peaks,
267
00:12:44,338 --> 00:12:49,258
he is able to really become
the narcotrafficker
268
00:12:49,351 --> 00:12:51,436
that we think of him
being today.
269
00:12:53,096 --> 00:12:57,776
In the few years after Guzmán
escaped from Puente Grande
270
00:12:57,860 --> 00:13:02,280
and reignited
his American cocaine
271
00:13:02,439 --> 00:13:05,274
and heroin distribution
organization,
272
00:13:05,359 --> 00:13:09,445
he was able to get almost
a billion dollars of cocaine
273
00:13:09,530 --> 00:13:12,707
to Chicago alone.
274
00:13:12,792 --> 00:13:17,962
- His empire grows by him
doing what he's always done--
275
00:13:18,047 --> 00:13:20,799
Trafficking
ton quantities of drugs
276
00:13:20,883 --> 00:13:22,375
all over the world.
277
00:13:22,459 --> 00:13:24,469
[gunshots]
278
00:13:24,628 --> 00:13:26,462
- It was during this time
that he decided
279
00:13:26,547 --> 00:13:28,807
that the way to control Mexico,
280
00:13:28,891 --> 00:13:30,725
the way to control
drug trafficking,
281
00:13:30,884 --> 00:13:32,635
was to do it violently.
282
00:13:32,728 --> 00:13:34,554
So he went out from Sinaloa,
283
00:13:34,638 --> 00:13:36,564
which is on
the western side of Mexico,
284
00:13:36,649 --> 00:13:41,143
and he sent his soldiers
to places like Ciudad Juarez,
285
00:13:41,228 --> 00:13:43,062
Nuevo Laredo, Nuevo Leon,
286
00:13:43,146 --> 00:13:45,907
and you began to see these
really bloody turf battles
287
00:13:45,991 --> 00:13:48,401
that hadn't existed
in Mexico prior.
288
00:13:48,485 --> 00:13:51,487
You'd see these almost
military-esque war zones
289
00:13:51,572 --> 00:13:52,664
break out.
290
00:13:52,748 --> 00:13:55,074
Gas stations
would be set on fire.
291
00:13:55,158 --> 00:13:58,002
Innocent people would be
caught in the crossfire.
292
00:13:58,161 --> 00:13:59,745
And it was really
just remarkable
293
00:13:59,830 --> 00:14:04,175
to see these pockets of Mexico
that had had peace for so long
294
00:14:04,260 --> 00:14:06,094
really just spiral out
of control
295
00:14:06,178 --> 00:14:07,587
as a result
of El Chapo's violence.
296
00:14:07,671 --> 00:14:10,339
♪ ♪
297
00:14:10,424 --> 00:14:13,935
- By 2014, both the Mexican
and U.S. government
298
00:14:14,094 --> 00:14:17,680
want this guy back behind bars.
299
00:14:17,764 --> 00:14:19,849
The heat is on.
300
00:14:19,933 --> 00:14:21,851
- We just started climbing
301
00:14:21,935 --> 00:14:23,528
the ladder
of the cartel hierarchy.
302
00:14:23,612 --> 00:14:25,771
We looked at
our organizational chart
303
00:14:25,856 --> 00:14:28,774
and organized all efforts
towards Chapo,
304
00:14:28,859 --> 00:14:31,619
because we were able to target
him from multiple angles,
305
00:14:31,704 --> 00:14:33,946
not just one line
of intelligence
306
00:14:34,031 --> 00:14:37,792
but we started targeting
through his pilots,
307
00:14:37,877 --> 00:14:42,797
his sons and family members,
his girlfriends, his spouses.
308
00:14:42,882 --> 00:14:47,969
- The FBI was able to identify
and turn
309
00:14:48,128 --> 00:14:50,963
Guzmán's personal IT man,
310
00:14:51,048 --> 00:14:54,383
a young, twenty-something
Colombian kid.
311
00:14:54,468 --> 00:14:58,146
And through this cooperation
from the IT man,
312
00:14:58,230 --> 00:15:01,974
they hacked into his encrypted
cell phone network.
313
00:15:02,059 --> 00:15:04,652
♪ ♪
314
00:15:04,737 --> 00:15:08,489
[tense music]
315
00:15:08,574 --> 00:15:13,077
- So we had Chapo's location
down to a block radius.
316
00:15:13,162 --> 00:15:16,414
We knew he was holed up
in a safe house,
317
00:15:16,573 --> 00:15:18,833
ad we ended up finding
the safe house
318
00:15:18,992 --> 00:15:20,826
and hitting the door.
319
00:15:20,911 --> 00:15:23,755
[banging]
320
00:15:23,914 --> 00:15:26,758
- Chapo's secretary comes in
and says
321
00:15:26,917 --> 00:15:28,760
that the Mexican military
was there.
322
00:15:28,919 --> 00:15:31,420
And they can literally
hear the banging
323
00:15:31,505 --> 00:15:33,589
on the steel-reinforced door
324
00:15:33,674 --> 00:15:35,675
that was covering
the actual door
325
00:15:35,759 --> 00:15:36,842
to the safe house.
326
00:15:36,936 --> 00:15:38,844
[dramatic music]
327
00:15:38,929 --> 00:15:40,930
- They could see people
moving in the windows
328
00:15:41,014 --> 00:15:43,608
hurriedly through the house.
329
00:15:43,767 --> 00:15:46,769
- So they immediately ran
into the bathroom.
330
00:15:46,853 --> 00:15:51,440
♪ ♪
331
00:15:51,525 --> 00:15:53,117
- But the sneaky El Chapo
332
00:15:53,202 --> 00:15:56,037
is not dashing into
the bathroom to hide.
333
00:15:56,121 --> 00:16:00,449
He's going to escape
through a tunnel.
334
00:16:00,534 --> 00:16:03,294
- After pioneering
the narco-tunnels,
335
00:16:03,379 --> 00:16:05,797
he realized it was just
a cookie-cutter plan.
336
00:16:05,956 --> 00:16:08,299
He could use these
as escape tunnels.
337
00:16:08,384 --> 00:16:10,876
- He's really kind of built up
his tunnel game
338
00:16:10,970 --> 00:16:13,629
without a whole lot of people
knowing about it.
339
00:16:13,714 --> 00:16:15,214
- On the night of the raid,
340
00:16:15,298 --> 00:16:19,644
Guzmán was able to escape
this safe house into a tunnel,
341
00:16:19,728 --> 00:16:23,064
and that tunnel was hidden
beneath a trap door
342
00:16:23,223 --> 00:16:25,316
under a false bathtub
343
00:16:25,475 --> 00:16:27,986
in the bathroom
of the safe house.
344
00:16:28,145 --> 00:16:30,896
There was a switch
on the bathroom wall,
345
00:16:30,981 --> 00:16:33,983
and if you took what was
essentially a paper clip
346
00:16:34,076 --> 00:16:35,818
and you jammed the paper clip
347
00:16:35,911 --> 00:16:37,912
into the electrical outlet
on the wall,
348
00:16:38,071 --> 00:16:42,408
it created an electric current
that went around the seal
349
00:16:42,492 --> 00:16:45,161
and essentially burned out
all the caulking
350
00:16:45,245 --> 00:16:47,663
that sealed the bathtub lid
closed.
351
00:16:47,748 --> 00:16:51,250
And then you had to prop
the bathtub lid open,
352
00:16:51,334 --> 00:16:55,004
and it kind of opened
on a hydraulic hinge,
353
00:16:55,088 --> 00:16:57,423
and beneath that false top
354
00:16:57,507 --> 00:17:00,176
was the entrance to the tunnel
355
00:17:00,260 --> 00:17:02,261
and the ladder going down.
356
00:17:02,354 --> 00:17:03,929
It's remarkable.
357
00:17:04,014 --> 00:17:06,190
♪ ♪
358
00:17:06,349 --> 00:17:08,851
- Because of this
quick escape plan,
359
00:17:08,935 --> 00:17:11,529
Chapo, his girlfriend,
the secretary,
360
00:17:11,613 --> 00:17:13,448
and Chapo's cook,
361
00:17:13,532 --> 00:17:15,700
they all descended
down the stairs
362
00:17:15,784 --> 00:17:19,111
into this network of tunnels,
and they were able to escape
363
00:17:19,196 --> 00:17:20,946
before the Mexican Marines
could get to them.
364
00:17:21,031 --> 00:17:22,782
♪ ♪
365
00:17:22,866 --> 00:17:25,367
- By the time that they got
into the house,
366
00:17:25,452 --> 00:17:27,378
the house was completely empty.
367
00:17:27,463 --> 00:17:30,372
I got there,
saw the reinforced steel door,
368
00:17:30,457 --> 00:17:33,459
and walked through the house,
and came in through a bedroom,
369
00:17:33,543 --> 00:17:36,378
and there were clothes
littered all over,
370
00:17:36,463 --> 00:17:38,214
and drug prescription bottles.
371
00:17:38,298 --> 00:17:42,134
- They found Chapo's
diamond-encrusted pistol,
372
00:17:42,219 --> 00:17:46,305
with his initials on it.
They found a bunch of drugs.
373
00:17:46,389 --> 00:17:48,307
They found, you know,
every accoutrement
374
00:17:48,400 --> 00:17:51,477
you would imagine a drug lord
would have at the ready.
375
00:17:51,570 --> 00:17:54,980
- El Chapo's mastery
of building secret tunnels
376
00:17:55,065 --> 00:17:57,241
has made him a rich man,
377
00:17:57,400 --> 00:18:00,402
and helped him
outrun the police.
378
00:18:00,496 --> 00:18:02,822
And if they ever catch him,
379
00:18:02,906 --> 00:18:05,324
it's a skill that could
really come in handy.
380
00:18:05,408 --> 00:18:07,418
♪ ♪
381
00:18:11,924 --> 00:18:16,594
- In 2014, the bloodthirsty
drug lord El Chapo
382
00:18:16,678 --> 00:18:19,171
is still on the I am.
383
00:18:19,264 --> 00:18:21,507
His reign of terror
has left a trail of corpses
384
00:18:21,591 --> 00:18:24,260
all across Mexico.
385
00:18:24,344 --> 00:18:27,847
The Mexican government,
along with the DEA,
386
00:18:27,931 --> 00:18:31,183
is doing everything it can
to put him back behind bars.
387
00:18:31,276 --> 00:18:34,186
[dramatic music]
388
00:18:34,271 --> 00:18:37,690
- What Chapo decides to do
is go to somewhere
389
00:18:37,774 --> 00:18:41,202
he feels he would be
sort of inconspicuous,
390
00:18:41,286 --> 00:18:43,955
which is
a beach town of Mazatlán.
391
00:18:44,114 --> 00:18:45,957
You know,
it's a vacation destination.
392
00:18:46,116 --> 00:18:47,867
A lot of Americans
vacation there.
393
00:18:47,960 --> 00:18:50,128
So, it didn't seem
like an obvious choice.
394
00:18:50,212 --> 00:18:52,463
He didn't go to one
of his mountain warrens,
395
00:18:52,622 --> 00:18:53,965
which would be
an obvious hiding place.
396
00:18:54,124 --> 00:18:56,876
He went somewhere that was
completely out of the box.
397
00:18:56,960 --> 00:19:02,047
♪ ♪
398
00:19:02,132 --> 00:19:04,725
They tracked down Chapo
at Hotel Miramar,
399
00:19:04,885 --> 00:19:06,886
which is a tourist hotel.
400
00:19:06,979 --> 00:19:08,646
- I was in the front
of the hotel at the time,
401
00:19:08,730 --> 00:19:10,389
and I heard,
"We've got the target.
402
00:19:10,473 --> 00:19:13,225
We've got the target."
And I drove my vehicle
403
00:19:13,310 --> 00:19:15,561
down into the underground
parking garage.
404
00:19:15,645 --> 00:19:20,241
♪ ♪
405
00:19:20,325 --> 00:19:24,236
And I ran right up to him
and just jumped in his face
406
00:19:24,321 --> 00:19:26,789
and said, "What's up, Chapo?"
407
00:19:28,500 --> 00:19:30,501
It was, like, the first thing
that came to me.
408
00:19:30,660 --> 00:19:32,336
Was just kind of all
the excitement
409
00:19:32,495 --> 00:19:35,339
just rushing out.
Couldn't believe it.
410
00:19:35,424 --> 00:19:38,751
- When El Chapo returns
to prison,
411
00:19:38,844 --> 00:19:41,170
the Mexican government
does not make the mistake
412
00:19:41,263 --> 00:19:44,840
of returning him
to Puente Grande.
413
00:19:44,925 --> 00:19:47,009
He's getting locked up here,
414
00:19:47,093 --> 00:19:51,597
in Federal Social Readaptation
Center Number Uno,
415
00:19:51,690 --> 00:19:54,150
AKA Altiplano.
416
00:19:55,694 --> 00:19:58,196
Altiplano is
the most secure prison
417
00:19:58,280 --> 00:20:00,105
in all of Mexico,
418
00:20:00,190 --> 00:20:02,617
and one of the toughest
maximum-security prisons
419
00:20:02,701 --> 00:20:04,944
in the world.
420
00:20:05,037 --> 00:20:09,114
Not only is it a no-fly zone,
its walls are thick enough
421
00:20:09,199 --> 00:20:12,284
to resist a full-scale
military assault,
422
00:20:12,377 --> 00:20:15,713
cell phones don't work
anywhere in the prison,
423
00:20:15,797 --> 00:20:19,375
and most important of all,
in here,
424
00:20:19,468 --> 00:20:21,710
El Chapo
is no longer being watched
425
00:20:21,803 --> 00:20:24,889
by guards his cartel
can control.
426
00:20:26,800 --> 00:20:31,720
Altiplano is considered
impossible to escape.
427
00:20:31,805 --> 00:20:34,974
But with U.S. extradition
hanging over his head,
428
00:20:35,058 --> 00:20:37,485
El Chapo wastes no time
coming up with a plan
429
00:20:37,644 --> 00:20:39,478
to be the first person
430
00:20:39,562 --> 00:20:42,531
to break out
of this formidable fortress.
431
00:20:45,068 --> 00:20:47,411
- The only way that Guzmán,
432
00:20:47,570 --> 00:20:49,154
once he was in prison
at Altiplano,
433
00:20:49,239 --> 00:20:51,657
was able to communicate
with the outside world
434
00:20:51,750 --> 00:20:54,493
was through people who were
permitted to visit him there.
435
00:20:54,586 --> 00:20:57,329
And those people were
essentially his lawyer,
436
00:20:57,422 --> 00:21:02,918
Oscar Lopez, and his third
and much younger wife.
437
00:21:03,011 --> 00:21:04,845
- He coordinated with his wife,
438
00:21:04,930 --> 00:21:07,756
Emma Coronel, with his sons,
439
00:21:07,841 --> 00:21:10,434
who are known by the nickname
Los Chapitos,
440
00:21:10,593 --> 00:21:13,354
that he wanted
to put a plan into action.
441
00:21:13,513 --> 00:21:19,026
And so immediately, they began
paying the appropriate bribes,
442
00:21:19,185 --> 00:21:20,778
getting the personnel lined up
443
00:21:20,937 --> 00:21:24,031
who are necessary
to implement such a plan.
444
00:21:24,116 --> 00:21:26,117
- One key player is
a familiar face
445
00:21:26,201 --> 00:21:28,452
from El Chapo's
previous jailbreak.
446
00:21:30,205 --> 00:21:33,791
- After Guzmán's first escape
from Puente Grande,
447
00:21:33,875 --> 00:21:37,628
Dámaso López
was essentially blamed for it,
448
00:21:37,787 --> 00:21:40,873
and he was unemployable.
He lost his job.
449
00:21:40,957 --> 00:21:44,460
He had nowhere to go,
and ended taking a job
450
00:21:44,553 --> 00:21:47,888
with Guzmán
and the Sinaloa Cartel.
451
00:21:47,973 --> 00:21:49,807
He rose in the ranks,
and by the time
452
00:21:49,891 --> 00:21:52,301
that Guzmán was in prison
a second time,
453
00:21:52,394 --> 00:21:54,645
at Altiplano, Dámaso López
454
00:21:54,804 --> 00:21:57,639
was more or less
Guzmán's Chief of Staff.
455
00:21:57,733 --> 00:22:00,318
He was his true right-hand man,
456
00:22:00,477 --> 00:22:04,155
and really the guy
who was running much
457
00:22:04,239 --> 00:22:09,577
of Guzmán's operations
while Guzmán was in prison.
458
00:22:09,661 --> 00:22:12,404
- Even with all these people
doing this bidding,
459
00:22:12,497 --> 00:22:16,000
El Chapo's escape is far
from a sure thing.
460
00:22:16,159 --> 00:22:21,672
He's confined to this cell
23 hours a day,
461
00:22:21,831 --> 00:22:25,250
not allowed to take part
in any prison sports
462
00:22:25,344 --> 00:22:27,511
or activities,
463
00:22:27,670 --> 00:22:32,433
and he can only have
court-approved visitors.
464
00:22:32,517 --> 00:22:37,179
A GPS monitor is permanently
strapped around his ankle.
465
00:22:37,263 --> 00:22:40,608
El Chapo knows he won't be able
to roll out of the front door
466
00:22:40,692 --> 00:22:43,435
like he did at Puente Grande.
467
00:22:43,528 --> 00:22:47,439
Even worse, he's under
constant video surveillance...
468
00:22:47,524 --> 00:22:50,034
♪ ♪
469
00:22:50,118 --> 00:22:54,455
By two Mexican national
intelligence officers.
470
00:22:54,539 --> 00:22:57,449
El Chapo has finally
met his match.
471
00:22:57,534 --> 00:22:59,543
♪ ♪
472
00:22:59,628 --> 00:23:00,953
Or has he?
473
00:23:01,037 --> 00:23:04,382
♪ ♪
474
00:23:04,466 --> 00:23:06,125
- This being El Chapo, a tunnel
475
00:23:06,209 --> 00:23:07,968
has to be part of the plan.
476
00:23:08,053 --> 00:23:12,464
But where are you
going to tunnel from?
477
00:23:12,557 --> 00:23:17,395
- The plan was to first
acquire a piece of property
478
00:23:17,479 --> 00:23:20,472
that was close enough
to Altiplano
479
00:23:20,565 --> 00:23:22,891
that it would enable
the construction of a tunnel
480
00:23:22,976 --> 00:23:26,404
into the prison,
but not too close
481
00:23:26,488 --> 00:23:29,907
so as to attract the attention
of any authorities.
482
00:23:29,991 --> 00:23:32,076
So there was first a search team
483
00:23:32,160 --> 00:23:34,412
that was essentially
a real estate team
484
00:23:34,571 --> 00:23:38,490
that went out looking
for such a property.
485
00:23:38,583 --> 00:23:42,744
Altiplano stood on its own
in essentially the midst
486
00:23:42,829 --> 00:23:48,592
of a vast agricultural region
and was just a huge complex
487
00:23:48,677 --> 00:23:52,930
that emerged from
this vast Mexican flatland.
488
00:23:53,089 --> 00:23:54,923
There was virtually
nothing around it,
489
00:23:55,016 --> 00:23:57,843
minus a few small smatterings
490
00:23:57,927 --> 00:23:59,437
of villages.
491
00:23:59,521 --> 00:24:00,846
Within about a mile
492
00:24:00,939 --> 00:24:02,264
of the prisons gates
493
00:24:02,357 --> 00:24:04,683
was a vacant industrial site
494
00:24:04,767 --> 00:24:06,018
that perhaps had been used
495
00:24:06,102 --> 00:24:07,186
by some of the local farmers
496
00:24:07,279 --> 00:24:08,279
at one point.
497
00:24:08,363 --> 00:24:10,364
Once the property was acquired,
498
00:24:10,523 --> 00:24:13,192
the engineering question
499
00:24:13,276 --> 00:24:17,196
of how to build
this tunnel was breached.
500
00:24:17,280 --> 00:24:19,781
♪ ♪
501
00:24:19,866 --> 00:24:21,533
- El Chapo's men are facing
502
00:24:21,618 --> 00:24:25,796
their most difficult
engineering task ever:
503
00:24:25,955 --> 00:24:30,876
how do you break into
a maximum-security prison?
504
00:24:30,969 --> 00:24:36,223
The walls are impenetrable,
the guards are heavily armed,
505
00:24:36,308 --> 00:24:39,810
and the closed-circuit TV camera
506
00:24:39,895 --> 00:24:43,898
can see every inch
of El Chapo's cell.
507
00:24:43,982 --> 00:24:48,644
Well, almost every inch.
508
00:24:48,728 --> 00:24:54,066
The shower drain is obscured
by this half-wall.
509
00:24:54,150 --> 00:24:56,827
The only way to get in unnoticed
510
00:24:56,986 --> 00:25:01,499
is to dig a tunnel
that opens up right here.
511
00:25:04,994 --> 00:25:06,420
♪ ♪
512
00:25:06,579 --> 00:25:08,163
- The foremost challenge
513
00:25:08,256 --> 00:25:11,917
that the escape crew had to face
514
00:25:12,010 --> 00:25:18,682
was how do we dig underground
for what was essentially
515
00:25:18,767 --> 00:25:23,011
a mile, sightless, beneath
the surface of the earth,
516
00:25:23,104 --> 00:25:26,106
scratching away
at rock and dirt,
517
00:25:26,191 --> 00:25:29,193
to get directly to the target?
518
00:25:30,687 --> 00:25:33,531
- A one-mile tunnel,
with the aim of it
519
00:25:33,690 --> 00:25:38,285
coming up directly in
El Chapo's shower stall.
520
00:25:38,370 --> 00:25:40,195
How is it that they would know
521
00:25:40,280 --> 00:25:44,449
exactly where
his shower drain was?
522
00:25:44,534 --> 00:25:47,962
- Without some way to locate
the shower stall,
523
00:25:48,121 --> 00:25:51,873
El Chapo's team is searching
for a needle in a haystack.
524
00:25:51,958 --> 00:25:55,377
What he's asking
for borders on impossible.
525
00:25:55,461 --> 00:25:58,556
♪ ♪
526
00:26:05,397 --> 00:26:08,223
[dramatic music]
527
00:26:08,308 --> 00:26:11,810
- Drug lord Joaquín
"El Chapo" Guzmán is locked up
528
00:26:11,894 --> 00:26:16,732
in a fortress--Altiplano
maximum-security prison.
529
00:26:16,816 --> 00:26:19,577
But he has a plan to escape.
530
00:26:19,736 --> 00:26:23,497
A mile from here,
outside the prison walls,
531
00:26:23,582 --> 00:26:26,575
his men are attempting to dig
an underground passageway
532
00:26:26,668 --> 00:26:30,495
that leads to this exact spot.
533
00:26:30,580 --> 00:26:34,916
If their angle of measurement
is off by a single degree,
534
00:26:35,001 --> 00:26:38,920
they'll miss the target
by 92 feet.
535
00:26:39,005 --> 00:26:43,091
Somehow, they need to make sure
536
00:26:43,176 --> 00:26:48,096
they get from there
to here, exactly.
537
00:26:48,181 --> 00:26:51,600
♪ ♪
538
00:26:51,693 --> 00:26:53,444
- Once you enter the warehouse,
539
00:26:53,603 --> 00:26:57,272
you see what looks
like a sand floor.
540
00:26:57,365 --> 00:26:59,783
And so, you descend
into a chamber
541
00:26:59,942 --> 00:27:01,785
that's supporting the sand floor
542
00:27:01,870 --> 00:27:03,203
with cinder blocks on the sides
543
00:27:03,363 --> 00:27:04,529
and a wooden ceiling.
544
00:27:04,623 --> 00:27:07,783
From there,
you descend a further 30 feet
545
00:27:07,867 --> 00:27:10,619
to the actual tunnel.
It's almost inconceivable
546
00:27:10,703 --> 00:27:13,455
that something like this
could take place.
547
00:27:13,548 --> 00:27:15,716
This isn't tunneling
below a wall
548
00:27:15,800 --> 00:27:19,628
and emerging on the other side
and making a break for it.
549
00:27:19,721 --> 00:27:22,389
This is a feat of coordination,
550
00:27:22,548 --> 00:27:24,800
structural engineering,
551
00:27:24,884 --> 00:27:28,553
planning, and bribery,
the likes of which
552
00:27:28,647 --> 00:27:31,556
we haven't seen in the history
of great escapes.
553
00:27:31,641 --> 00:27:33,975
How would you be able
554
00:27:34,060 --> 00:27:36,570
to pinpoint with such precision
555
00:27:36,655 --> 00:27:40,991
a 3x2-foot hole in the ground
to know where to come up?
556
00:27:42,827 --> 00:27:44,328
[suspenseful music]
557
00:27:44,412 --> 00:27:49,491
- In January 2015, El Chapo
comes up with a cunning plan
558
00:27:49,575 --> 00:27:52,411
to help his men find his cell.
559
00:27:52,495 --> 00:27:54,162
- The idea was,
they were going to smuggle
560
00:27:54,247 --> 00:27:57,165
into the prison a GPS device,
561
00:27:57,250 --> 00:27:59,426
so that Chapo could turn it on
562
00:27:59,511 --> 00:28:02,087
and the people building
this tunnel would know exactly
563
00:28:02,171 --> 00:28:04,339
where the other end
of the tunnel needed to be.
564
00:28:04,424 --> 00:28:07,434
- At Altiplano,
smuggling anything
565
00:28:07,593 --> 00:28:09,594
is next to impossible.
566
00:28:09,679 --> 00:28:11,346
♪ ♪
567
00:28:11,439 --> 00:28:13,107
- When you get into the prison,
568
00:28:13,266 --> 00:28:15,100
there's roughly half a dozen,
569
00:28:15,184 --> 00:28:18,353
perhaps more checkpoints
you have to go through.
570
00:28:18,438 --> 00:28:21,273
You can't bring anything
in that could potentially
571
00:28:21,357 --> 00:28:25,536
be used as a weapon
or as a tool to escape.
572
00:28:25,620 --> 00:28:27,946
- El Chapo would have
to risk it.
573
00:28:28,030 --> 00:28:31,283
There was no other way
to move forward with the plan.
574
00:28:31,367 --> 00:28:35,287
So he enlisted the help
of the people he trusted most.
575
00:28:35,380 --> 00:28:38,132
- Chapo's family members
smuggled a watch to him
576
00:28:38,216 --> 00:28:41,793
that had a GPS locator on it.
577
00:28:41,878 --> 00:28:46,465
- And the digging crew was
able to follow the signal
578
00:28:46,549 --> 00:28:48,976
that that watch emitted
even underground,
579
00:28:49,135 --> 00:28:50,978
digging day after day,
580
00:28:51,137 --> 00:28:52,479
night after night,
581
00:28:52,564 --> 00:28:55,899
to reach that signal.
582
00:28:56,058 --> 00:28:59,153
- His GPS watch lets
El Chapo's men know
583
00:28:59,312 --> 00:29:01,897
that their aim is true.
584
00:29:01,981 --> 00:29:05,159
But down here in the tunnel,
585
00:29:05,243 --> 00:29:07,578
there are other challenges
to overcome.
586
00:29:10,573 --> 00:29:13,074
- You need air down there
to breathe,
587
00:29:13,159 --> 00:29:14,501
or else you will asphyxiate.
588
00:29:14,586 --> 00:29:15,994
You're talking about
a digging crew
589
00:29:16,087 --> 00:29:17,838
of 10 to 12 guys
590
00:29:17,997 --> 00:29:19,247
working in this thing.
591
00:29:19,332 --> 00:29:22,843
So they had to blow air
into it and ventilate
592
00:29:22,927 --> 00:29:24,920
in order to survive.
593
00:29:25,013 --> 00:29:26,430
- They wind up lining the tunnel
594
00:29:26,514 --> 00:29:29,007
with thousands of feet
of PVC pipe,
595
00:29:29,091 --> 00:29:32,186
and they have a compressor
putting forced air
596
00:29:32,270 --> 00:29:34,513
through the tunnel so people
could breathe inside.
597
00:29:34,606 --> 00:29:37,524
They also needed to outfit it
with lights,
598
00:29:37,609 --> 00:29:39,601
so that it wasn't
completely dark.
599
00:29:39,685 --> 00:29:41,779
To do that,
you needed to have a generator.
600
00:29:41,863 --> 00:29:44,448
So they hide a generator
in the building
601
00:29:44,532 --> 00:29:46,533
on the land
that they've purchased,
602
00:29:46,618 --> 00:29:48,202
and they hide that generator
603
00:29:48,286 --> 00:29:50,445
by making it look
like a barbecue pit.
604
00:29:50,530 --> 00:29:53,031
- It's a massive undertaking.
605
00:29:53,115 --> 00:29:57,878
♪ ♪
606
00:29:58,037 --> 00:30:02,549
- The scale of the endeavor
boggles the mind--5,000 feet
607
00:30:02,708 --> 00:30:05,803
of PVC piping for ventilation,
608
00:30:05,887 --> 00:30:08,797
thousands of fluorescent
light bulbs,
609
00:30:08,881 --> 00:30:11,049
moving over hundreds
of thousands
610
00:30:11,133 --> 00:30:13,051
of pounds of dirt,
611
00:30:13,135 --> 00:30:15,720
and not be detected.
612
00:30:15,814 --> 00:30:18,890
- It was laid with
a makeshift railroad track,
613
00:30:18,975 --> 00:30:24,404
atop which sat a kind
of modified mining cart,
614
00:30:24,564 --> 00:30:25,814
which had been outfitted
615
00:30:25,898 --> 00:30:29,117
with the stripped-down frame
of a motorcycle.
616
00:30:31,663 --> 00:30:32,830
- Chapo was very impatient.
617
00:30:32,914 --> 00:30:35,332
We now know
that he was writing letters,
618
00:30:35,416 --> 00:30:36,825
saying,
"Why is it taking so long?"
619
00:30:36,909 --> 00:30:38,743
And he was being told,
"Compadre,
620
00:30:38,837 --> 00:30:41,421
this is not an easy job.
We've got to get this right."
621
00:30:41,506 --> 00:30:43,915
But he was eager to get out
of there as soon as possible.
622
00:30:44,000 --> 00:30:47,094
♪ ♪
623
00:30:47,253 --> 00:30:48,670
- El Chapo gets the word
624
00:30:48,763 --> 00:30:51,181
that the tunnel is almost ready,
625
00:30:51,266 --> 00:30:54,768
and he gives word back
about a special date
626
00:30:54,853 --> 00:30:57,437
he wants the escape
to happen on.
627
00:30:57,522 --> 00:31:00,941
- Guzmán's plan was to have
his escape from Altiplano
628
00:31:01,100 --> 00:31:05,186
fall on Saturday, July 4th.
It was a Saturday that year.
629
00:31:05,271 --> 00:31:08,523
That was an important fact,
because on weekends,
630
00:31:08,616 --> 00:31:10,859
Altiplano's prison staff
was low.
631
00:31:10,943 --> 00:31:15,038
And he chose July 4th
because he wanted to embarrass
632
00:31:15,123 --> 00:31:19,209
the American government--that
he could break out of prison
633
00:31:19,294 --> 00:31:22,787
on America's greatest
national holiday.
634
00:31:22,872 --> 00:31:24,873
It didn't quite work that way.
635
00:31:24,957 --> 00:31:28,135
They couldn't pull it off
by Saturday, July 4th,
636
00:31:28,219 --> 00:31:30,295
and so they had
to delay one week.
637
00:31:30,379 --> 00:31:33,974
♪ ♪
638
00:31:34,058 --> 00:31:36,635
- El Chapo isn't able to give
the U.S. authorities
639
00:31:36,728 --> 00:31:40,472
the 4th of July fireworks
show he was hoping for.
640
00:31:40,556 --> 00:31:43,483
But his own independence day
is coming soon.
641
00:31:43,568 --> 00:31:47,404
On Saturday, July 11, 2015,
642
00:31:47,563 --> 00:31:49,814
his team will attempt
to break through
643
00:31:49,899 --> 00:31:51,816
and whisk him away to freedom.
644
00:31:51,901 --> 00:31:54,244
♪ ♪
645
00:32:00,418 --> 00:32:03,170
[tense music]
646
00:32:03,254 --> 00:32:05,088
- After almost a year
of waiting,
647
00:32:05,247 --> 00:32:08,667
the big night for
Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán
648
00:32:08,760 --> 00:32:10,177
is finally here.
649
00:32:10,336 --> 00:32:14,681
He will be attempting to break
out of Altiplano prison.
650
00:32:14,840 --> 00:32:19,019
- A video exists of Guzmán
on the night of the escape,
651
00:32:19,103 --> 00:32:21,104
taken by prison authorities.
652
00:32:21,263 --> 00:32:23,607
And you can see him in his cell,
653
00:32:23,691 --> 00:32:27,352
lounging on his bed,
listening to what seems to be
654
00:32:27,445 --> 00:32:30,948
a television comedy show
in a digital tablet.
655
00:32:31,032 --> 00:32:33,367
You can literally here
the laughter
656
00:32:33,451 --> 00:32:36,286
and applause
as he sits there waiting.
657
00:32:36,371 --> 00:32:38,279
Every once in a while,
he gets up,
658
00:32:38,373 --> 00:32:40,040
he kind of paces
around the room,
659
00:32:40,124 --> 00:32:42,960
he sits back down,
listens to his comedy show.
660
00:32:43,044 --> 00:32:44,869
- You can hear,
in the background,
661
00:32:44,954 --> 00:32:46,296
you know,
really loud television,
662
00:32:46,455 --> 00:32:49,290
which you can tell is trying
to cover up this banging
663
00:32:49,375 --> 00:32:52,135
and clanging sound
of the workers
664
00:32:52,294 --> 00:32:53,878
digging up the floor
of his cell.
665
00:32:53,963 --> 00:32:55,213
[banging]
666
00:32:55,297 --> 00:32:57,891
♪ ♪
667
00:32:57,976 --> 00:32:59,059
- It's at that point
668
00:32:59,143 --> 00:33:01,052
that Guzmán sits
on the edge of his bed,
669
00:33:01,137 --> 00:33:03,397
puts on his shoes, gets up,
670
00:33:03,481 --> 00:33:06,808
and walks into the shower cell,
671
00:33:06,892 --> 00:33:09,152
the only place
in the entire cell
672
00:33:09,311 --> 00:33:11,980
that is obscured from view
by a video camera
673
00:33:12,064 --> 00:33:14,741
because obviously,
they gave him some semblance
674
00:33:14,826 --> 00:33:16,243
of privacy while he was bathing.
675
00:33:16,327 --> 00:33:19,904
- You can see him pacing back
and forth in the cell,
676
00:33:19,989 --> 00:33:22,165
and then all of a sudden
walking into the shower,
677
00:33:22,250 --> 00:33:23,408
and then he's gone.
678
00:33:23,492 --> 00:33:25,577
♪ ♪
679
00:33:25,670 --> 00:33:30,832
- Guzmán goes into a hole
that has been punctured
680
00:33:30,925 --> 00:33:33,334
in the bottom of his shower cell
681
00:33:33,419 --> 00:33:35,595
by the conspirators underground.
682
00:33:35,680 --> 00:33:39,841
He climbs down a makeshift
ladder 15 to 20 feet.
683
00:33:39,925 --> 00:33:42,686
He is met by his wife's brother.
684
00:33:44,188 --> 00:33:46,857
Guzmán is said to have climbed
on the motorcycle.
685
00:33:46,941 --> 00:33:48,016
It kicks into life.
686
00:33:48,100 --> 00:33:51,853
It spirits him away
a mile forward
687
00:33:51,937 --> 00:33:54,272
to the exit of the tunnel.
688
00:33:54,356 --> 00:33:59,036
He is taken up a ladder
on the safe side.
689
00:33:59,195 --> 00:34:01,538
- When he gets to
the cinder block house,
690
00:34:01,622 --> 00:34:06,117
there's an ATV waiting
to speed him away quickly
691
00:34:06,202 --> 00:34:07,544
from the scene of the crime.
692
00:34:07,703 --> 00:34:11,048
- It takes almost 40 minutes
before the guards realize
693
00:34:11,207 --> 00:34:14,301
that he's gone
and go into his cell.
694
00:34:14,385 --> 00:34:17,137
- Cell number 20 sits empty
695
00:34:17,296 --> 00:34:21,975
as a shocked security officer
radios in to his commander.
696
00:34:22,060 --> 00:34:23,143
[alarms blare]
697
00:34:23,227 --> 00:34:26,137
The alarms goes off
at Altiplano.
698
00:34:26,222 --> 00:34:28,306
But it's too late.
699
00:34:28,399 --> 00:34:33,236
El Chapo is on the move,
with a serious head start.
700
00:34:36,324 --> 00:34:38,075
- He is driven through the night
701
00:34:38,159 --> 00:34:40,819
to a waiting semi,
702
00:34:40,912 --> 00:34:42,821
18-wheel truck.
703
00:34:42,905 --> 00:34:47,826
♪ ♪
704
00:34:47,910 --> 00:34:52,005
The truck drives him two hours
from the town of Toluca,
705
00:34:52,090 --> 00:34:54,999
where Altiplano prison is,
to a much smaller town,
706
00:34:55,093 --> 00:34:56,751
San Juan, Queretaro,
707
00:34:56,836 --> 00:35:01,506
where he is placed aboard
a small private plane
708
00:35:01,590 --> 00:35:06,353
flown by one of his most
trusted and favorite pilots.
709
00:35:06,437 --> 00:35:08,522
- Shouldn't surprise us
that El Chapo, by this point,
710
00:35:08,606 --> 00:35:11,108
is taking
every precaution possible,
711
00:35:11,267 --> 00:35:13,860
including making sure
that there's not one
712
00:35:13,945 --> 00:35:16,855
but two planes ready
to spirit him away to safety,
713
00:35:16,948 --> 00:35:18,189
one as a decoy,
714
00:35:18,282 --> 00:35:20,775
and one that will actually
carry him to freedom.
715
00:35:20,860 --> 00:35:22,527
♪ ♪
716
00:35:22,611 --> 00:35:24,454
- And his plane spirits him away
717
00:35:24,539 --> 00:35:27,541
from the Mexican flatlands
718
00:35:27,625 --> 00:35:32,036
back to his home base
in the Sinaloa mountains,
719
00:35:32,121 --> 00:35:36,049
to his sort of most secure
private hideaway,
720
00:35:36,208 --> 00:35:38,635
known as the Sky.
721
00:35:42,140 --> 00:35:44,549
- Watching the video,
it's just incredible
722
00:35:44,633 --> 00:35:46,050
the amount of noise
that was happening,
723
00:35:46,135 --> 00:35:49,304
the amount of drilling and
banging that could be heard.
724
00:35:49,388 --> 00:35:53,808
And nobody raised a head.
Nobody lifted a finger.
725
00:35:53,893 --> 00:35:57,487
Nobody questioned
as to why that was happening.
726
00:35:57,646 --> 00:36:00,157
So it's pretty remarkable,
but, really,
727
00:36:00,241 --> 00:36:01,983
expected at this point in time.
728
00:36:02,076 --> 00:36:04,903
He escaped Puente Grande
in 2001.
729
00:36:04,987 --> 00:36:07,831
He escaped law enforcement
for 13 years.
730
00:36:07,990 --> 00:36:10,250
He escaped us
during our operation,
731
00:36:10,409 --> 00:36:11,910
out of his safe house.
732
00:36:11,994 --> 00:36:15,255
And now you put him
in a maximum-security prison
733
00:36:15,339 --> 00:36:19,250
in Mexico, and you think
that he's going to be secure?
734
00:36:19,335 --> 00:36:20,844
I don't think so.
735
00:36:20,928 --> 00:36:23,504
I think
it was probably inevitable.
736
00:36:23,589 --> 00:36:26,591
I had some initial shock
when he broke out.
737
00:36:26,684 --> 00:36:30,094
But went right back
into "let's go get this guy.
738
00:36:30,179 --> 00:36:31,930
"He's done this before to us.
739
00:36:32,014 --> 00:36:35,192
Let's mount up the team
and get after him."
740
00:36:35,276 --> 00:36:40,855
- Following this escape,
El Chapo attempts to resume
741
00:36:40,940 --> 00:36:44,868
his regular activities,
but now it's not as easy.
742
00:36:44,952 --> 00:36:48,613
This escape is
a significant embarrassment
743
00:36:48,697 --> 00:36:52,200
to the Mexican government,
who had, only a year before,
744
00:36:52,284 --> 00:36:55,545
trumpeted his capture
as a major accomplishment
745
00:36:55,704 --> 00:36:58,215
in the nation's war
on drugs and crime.
746
00:36:58,374 --> 00:37:00,708
That only adds fuel to the fire
747
00:37:00,793 --> 00:37:04,387
to try to see him
apprehended once again.
748
00:37:04,546 --> 00:37:06,881
- There doesn't seem to be
a prison in Mexico
749
00:37:06,966 --> 00:37:10,143
that can hold El Chapo for good.
750
00:37:10,228 --> 00:37:13,137
Once again, he has escaped.
751
00:37:13,222 --> 00:37:16,975
And now, for the third time,
the chase is on.
752
00:37:17,059 --> 00:37:19,361
♪ ♪
753
00:37:23,741 --> 00:37:25,900
- It's 2015.
754
00:37:25,985 --> 00:37:28,912
El Chapo leaves
Mexican authorities in shock
755
00:37:29,071 --> 00:37:31,831
by escaping
through a mile-long tunnel
756
00:37:31,991 --> 00:37:35,252
under Altiplano prison.
757
00:37:35,411 --> 00:37:37,829
Embarrassed by their inability
to keep El Chapo
758
00:37:37,922 --> 00:37:39,414
under lock and key,
759
00:37:39,498 --> 00:37:41,341
the U.S. Drug
Enforcement Agency
760
00:37:41,500 --> 00:37:43,668
and the Mexican Marines
761
00:37:43,761 --> 00:37:46,680
are more determined
than ever to bring him
762
00:37:46,839 --> 00:37:49,766
to justice on U.S. soil.
763
00:37:51,593 --> 00:37:53,845
- For days now, we have been
trying to gain entry
764
00:37:53,938 --> 00:37:56,597
into that home where El Chapo
is said to have emerged.
765
00:37:56,682 --> 00:37:58,433
We finally...
I had, at the time,
766
00:37:58,517 --> 00:38:01,695
a very high-level source
in the Mexican government
767
00:38:01,779 --> 00:38:04,364
who gave me the initial heads
up that he had escaped.
768
00:38:04,523 --> 00:38:06,691
When I got down to the tunnel,
the first thing I noticed
769
00:38:06,775 --> 00:38:10,620
was a discarded Coca-Cola can,
and it made it so humanizing.
770
00:38:10,705 --> 00:38:12,455
Like, the men that had been
working to build this
771
00:38:12,540 --> 00:38:15,867
were drinking Coca-Colas
and tossing their trash aside.
772
00:38:15,960 --> 00:38:19,629
It was like being
in this live-action museum.
773
00:38:19,788 --> 00:38:22,623
There was this
overwhelming odor of gasoline,
774
00:38:22,708 --> 00:38:24,459
and the motorcycle
still had a half
775
00:38:24,543 --> 00:38:26,210
a tank of gasoline in it,
776
00:38:26,295 --> 00:38:29,139
so it was just like El Chapo
had just been here,
777
00:38:29,223 --> 00:38:30,557
and it gives me
goosebumps to think,
778
00:38:30,716 --> 00:38:31,966
just a few days before,
779
00:38:32,051 --> 00:38:34,302
the most notorious
drug trafficker in the world
780
00:38:34,386 --> 00:38:35,887
was standing right
where I was standing.
781
00:38:35,971 --> 00:38:37,814
♪ ♪
782
00:38:37,973 --> 00:38:41,809
- After Guzmán's escape
from Altiplano,
783
00:38:41,902 --> 00:38:44,571
the U.S.
law enforcement agents
784
00:38:44,730 --> 00:38:46,397
and the Mexican Marines,
785
00:38:46,482 --> 00:38:49,233
who had spent all of that time
and energy
786
00:38:49,327 --> 00:38:51,569
to put him into Altiplano
in the first place,
787
00:38:51,662 --> 00:38:53,988
were devastated.
788
00:38:54,073 --> 00:38:55,832
- My initial reaction was shock,
789
00:38:55,991 --> 00:38:57,500
but I was too far gone
at this point.
790
00:38:57,585 --> 00:38:58,918
We all were, really.
791
00:38:59,003 --> 00:39:00,495
But thankfully,
the Mexican Marines
792
00:39:00,588 --> 00:39:03,081
had our blueprint
of intelligence,
793
00:39:03,165 --> 00:39:05,583
and picked that back up
and got back after it.
794
00:39:05,667 --> 00:39:07,510
And it didn't take them long
to track him down,
795
00:39:07,669 --> 00:39:09,179
because he really
had nowhere to go.
796
00:39:09,263 --> 00:39:11,598
[suspenseful music]
797
00:39:11,682 --> 00:39:14,517
- The Mexican government
availed itself
798
00:39:14,676 --> 00:39:18,846
of a very sophisticated
Israeli technology
799
00:39:18,931 --> 00:39:20,431
called Pegasus,
800
00:39:20,516 --> 00:39:23,267
this super-secret
surveillance technology
801
00:39:23,352 --> 00:39:24,685
that essentially uses
802
00:39:24,779 --> 00:39:26,863
what are known as Trojan horses
803
00:39:26,947 --> 00:39:31,025
to enter the target of
an investigation's cell phone.
804
00:39:31,110 --> 00:39:34,537
Operation: Black Swan
was the Mexican Marine
805
00:39:34,622 --> 00:39:38,032
and Mexican
intelligence operation
806
00:39:38,117 --> 00:39:41,285
that made Guzmán
its high-priority target
807
00:39:41,379 --> 00:39:43,380
once he escaped.
808
00:39:43,464 --> 00:39:45,039
- He's still feared.
809
00:39:45,124 --> 00:39:47,467
He carries
this mysticism to him,
810
00:39:47,551 --> 00:39:49,719
almost this legendary status,
811
00:39:49,878 --> 00:39:52,806
because for so many years,
he was in hiding.
812
00:39:52,965 --> 00:39:56,309
Everyone knew that this was
the man that was responsible
813
00:39:56,468 --> 00:39:59,971
for the violence in Mexico.
But no one knew where he was.
814
00:40:00,055 --> 00:40:03,391
No one seemed to know
how to catch up to him.
815
00:40:03,475 --> 00:40:06,561
And that made him
an even more legendary figure.
816
00:40:06,645 --> 00:40:09,480
- He escaped on July 11, 2015,
817
00:40:09,565 --> 00:40:13,743
and then he's recaptured again
on January 8, 2016.
818
00:40:16,905 --> 00:40:18,498
♪ ♪
819
00:40:18,582 --> 00:40:20,333
- He winds up getting taken
right back
820
00:40:20,492 --> 00:40:23,211
to the same Altiplano prison
that he just escaped from.
821
00:40:24,913 --> 00:40:27,165
- Chapo was not deterred
by being
822
00:40:27,249 --> 00:40:29,000
re-recaptured, as we called it.
823
00:40:29,084 --> 00:40:31,511
He was gonna try
to escape again.
824
00:40:31,595 --> 00:40:33,254
- He hasn't given up at all.
825
00:40:33,338 --> 00:40:36,340
Nunez testifies
that the very next month,
826
00:40:36,425 --> 00:40:37,592
after he's recaptured,
827
00:40:37,685 --> 00:40:39,927
Chapo's family reaches
back out to him and says,
828
00:40:40,020 --> 00:40:41,262
"We gotta give
this another go."
829
00:40:41,355 --> 00:40:44,682
He receives another $100,000
as a down payment
830
00:40:44,766 --> 00:40:46,517
to buy yet another property.
831
00:40:46,610 --> 00:40:48,778
The idea was, they were gonna
do it all over again.
832
00:40:48,863 --> 00:40:51,355
A few months later,
the Mexican authorities
833
00:40:51,449 --> 00:40:54,701
wind up moving Chapo
from Altiplano prison
834
00:40:54,785 --> 00:40:56,694
to a prison right across
the Rio Grande
835
00:40:56,778 --> 00:40:58,362
from El Paso, Texas,
836
00:40:58,447 --> 00:41:02,459
and there he stays
until January 19, 2017,
837
00:41:02,543 --> 00:41:04,377
when he's brought
to the United States.
838
00:41:04,536 --> 00:41:05,795
[camera shutters clicking]
839
00:41:05,880 --> 00:41:08,789
[reporters whistle, shout]
840
00:41:08,874 --> 00:41:11,792
[dramatic music]
841
00:41:11,877 --> 00:41:13,470
♪ ♪
842
00:41:17,716 --> 00:41:19,884
Given his history of escapes,
843
00:41:19,968 --> 00:41:23,304
I wasn't entirely sure
that he would make it
844
00:41:23,388 --> 00:41:25,890
until he actually landed
in New York City
845
00:41:25,974 --> 00:41:28,485
and I was there
in the courtroom with him.
846
00:41:28,569 --> 00:41:30,478
And even then,
there were moments.
847
00:41:30,562 --> 00:41:31,821
We were all in court one day,
848
00:41:31,906 --> 00:41:33,731
and all of a sudden,
with no warning,
849
00:41:33,815 --> 00:41:36,242
the power to the courthouse
cuts out,
850
00:41:36,327 --> 00:41:38,077
and we're all
sitting in darkness.
851
00:41:38,162 --> 00:41:40,905
Someone in the gallery yells,
"He's gone!"
852
00:41:40,998 --> 00:41:44,167
And I have to say,
for a fraction of a second,
853
00:41:44,251 --> 00:41:46,586
I wondered if Chapo
had pulled off
854
00:41:46,670 --> 00:41:48,663
probably the most elaborate
escape possible.
855
00:41:48,747 --> 00:41:50,507
But then the power
comes back on,
856
00:41:50,666 --> 00:41:52,667
and Chapo's sitting right there
857
00:41:52,760 --> 00:41:55,512
at counsel's table, smiling.
858
00:41:55,596 --> 00:42:00,183
- In the end, El Chapo is not
able to escape U.S. justice.
859
00:42:00,267 --> 00:42:02,769
- Chapo Guzmán was convicted
on all counts,
860
00:42:02,853 --> 00:42:06,097
and ultimately he was sentenced
to life plus 30 years,
861
00:42:06,181 --> 00:42:09,776
and he's now residing
in Florence, Colorado,
862
00:42:09,935 --> 00:42:11,361
in the supermax prison.
863
00:42:13,438 --> 00:42:19,110
- Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán
is an evil genius.
864
00:42:19,194 --> 00:42:22,121
He ran the biggest
drug cartel in the world,
865
00:42:22,281 --> 00:42:24,448
made billions of dollars,
866
00:42:24,542 --> 00:42:27,293
and organized massive
clandestine operations
867
00:42:27,378 --> 00:42:31,047
to build tunnels, like this one.
868
00:42:31,206 --> 00:42:36,302
His biggest fear--
Landing in U.S. custody.
869
00:42:36,387 --> 00:42:39,547
But today, that's exactly
where he is.
870
00:42:39,631 --> 00:42:42,392
A supermax prison in Colorado
871
00:42:42,476 --> 00:42:47,138
nicknamed the Alcatraz
of the Rockies.
872
00:42:47,222 --> 00:42:50,391
He spends his days
in solitary confinement
873
00:42:50,475 --> 00:42:54,645
and has almost no contact
with the outside world.
874
00:42:54,730 --> 00:42:57,815
Authorities believe
they finally found a prison
875
00:42:57,908 --> 00:43:00,318
he cannot escape.
876
00:43:00,402 --> 00:43:04,247
But with someone like El Chapo,
877
00:43:04,406 --> 00:43:07,250
it's important
to never say "never."