Hollywood actor Sean Penn interviewed Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman at a secret location soon after his jail break.
The interview, conducted in October in the Mexican jungle, is published in Saturday’s edition of Rolling Stone.
[contextly_sidebar id=”VvlZC7CaDbY7rV5YeUTuMrNgUfNC7Nhq”]Guzman escaped from the maximum security Altiplano jail in July and was recaptured on Friday.
Unnamed Mexican officials say Penn’s secret meeting helped lead them to the fugitive who is back in Altiplano.
Their comments chime with public pronouncements by Attorney General Arely Gomez, who said on Friday that an important aspect of his recapture “was discovering Guzman’s intention to have a biographic film made”.
“He contacted actresses and producers, which was part of one line of investigation.”
In the Rolling Stone article, the result of a seven-hour “sit-down”, Penn and Guzman discuss various topics, including drug trafficking.
Guzman, 58, is quoted as saying: “If there was no consumption, there would be no sales.”
He also rejects responsibility for drug addiction, saying “the day I don’t exist, it’s not going to decrease in any way at all”.
The meeting, apparently arranged by Mexican actress Kate del Castillo, took place in a remote part of Durango state, a Mexican official told Associated Press. Durango borders Sinaloa state, the centre of Guzman’s operations.
A picture of Guzman in Rolling Stone shaking hands with Penn is dated 2 October. Two weeks later, the Mexican authorities reported that the cartel leader narrowly evaded recapture in northwest Mexico and suffered face and leg injuries as he fled.
The authorities said they could have fired on Guzman at his hideout, but decided against because he was with two women and a child.
Another source, quoted by Reuters, said the Mexicans were considering investigating Penn and Castillo.
Extradition
Mexico meanwhile says it will begin the process of extraditing Guzman to the US, in line with extradition requests from 2014.
Guzman, who was one of the world’s most wanted drug traffickers, escaped from jail through a tunnel dug in the showers.
That was his second escape – he was first arrested in Guatemala in 1993 and escaped from Puente Grande jail in 2001, reportedly in a laundry basket after bribing officials.
He was on the run for 13 years before being held again in 2014. Previous requests from the US have been turned down.
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Source: BBC