El Chapo, Mexico's richest and most powerful drug lord escapes through a tunnel built under the prison

(Reuters, Edgard Garrido)

In news that shocked the entire nation, Mexico's most powerful drug lord, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, has escaped from a maximum security prison.

According to reports, the world's richest drug trafficker escaped via a shaft from his prison cell's shower area on Saturday and disappeared into a mile long tunnel that appeared to have been built right under the authorities noses. The tunnel boasted of ventilation and lighting systems; a motorcycle was allegedly used to move dirt from it.

A massive manhunt is currently underway and Mexican authorities have already set-up highway checkpoints, closed off an international airport and even stepped up border security. But there has been no trace of El Chapo days after his escape.

This is a serious blow to President Enrique Pena Nieto's government as his entire campaign hinged on his promise of getting rid of drug cartels. As a matter of fact, the successful capture of El Chapo is considered the highlight of his presidency.

Michael S. Vigil, a retired U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration chief, says that Guzman's escape has erased "all the accolades that Mexico has received in their counter-drug efforts."

The escape also raises questions on Mexico's ability to handle top drug lords without extraditing them to the U.S. It will also hurt its ties with the US government, one of the country's staunchest supporters, and a country that has funneled more than $1 billion into Mexico as part of a joint effort to battle and take down cartels, as well as revising its criminal justice system.

It is a situation that Jorge Chabat, a Mexican security expert, expects to happen.

"For the most-wanted criminal to escape from the highest-security prison is going to create conflicts, the first of them with the United States," he said.

The U.S government has already released a statement thru Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch who said that the US shares "Mexico's concern regarding the escape of Joaquin Guzman" and that the country is "ready to work with our Mexican partners to provide any assistance that may help support his swift recapture."

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