Friday July 1, 2022
  • Venezuela
  • Mexico
  • Colombia
  • Chile
  • Brazil
  • Argentina
  • Podcast
Versión Español
PanAm Post
  • Home
  • Regions
    • South America
    • North America
    • Central America
    • Caribbean
  • Politics
  • Economics
  • Opinion
  • Podcast
  • Authors
  • Contact
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Regions
    • South America
    • North America
    • Central America
    • Caribbean
  • Politics
  • Economics
  • Opinion
  • Podcast
  • Authors
  • Contact
No Result
View All Result
PanAm Post
No Result
View All Result

Home » The Drug War’s Theater of the Absurd: El Chapo Guzmán’s Arrest

The Drug War’s Theater of the Absurd: El Chapo Guzmán’s Arrest

Guillermo Jimenez by Guillermo Jimenez
March 4, 2014
in Columnists, Drug War, Mexico, North America, Opinion, Politics, United States
0
0
SHARES
0
VIEWS
FacebookTwitterTelegramWhatsapp

Español In the theater of the absurd that is the War on Drugs, the rational gives way to the irrational — the logical to the illogical.

We observe the narcotics supply-chain of individuals and the law enforcement apparatus, both trapped in seemingly hopeless situations. Then those in positions of power — government, big business, and banks — act out their role with the same repetitive and meaningless actions. They assuage the public with words of comfort, but they ring full of clichés and nonsense. In the end, there is no meaning, a cyclical and destructive plot without bounds.

RelatedArticles

The new socialist supremacisms: a maoist cultural revolution undermines the US

The new socialist supremacisms: a maoist cultural revolution undermines the US

August 21, 2021
GETTR: the powerful weapon of Trump and international right wing

GETTR: the powerful weapon of Trump and international right wing

July 13, 2021

The arrest of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán fits into this narrative all too well. Touted as one of the most dangerous and sought after criminals on the planet, his capture has led to much congratulatory back-slapping on the part of Mexican and US authorities. The takedown of the face of the Sinaloa Cartel has been said to mark the end of an era, and yet, paradoxically, has left many more questions than answers.

Aside from the uncertainties of the future, questions linger as to the planning, execution, and timing of the arrest — how, who, or what set the stage for El Chapo’s fall?

The Three Amigos at the North American Leaders Summit in Toluca, Mexico on Wednesday, Feb.19, 2014.
The “Three Amigos” at the North American Leaders Summit in Toluca, Mexico on Wednesday, Feb.19, 2014. Source: The White House.

Guzmán’s capture came only three days after the “Three Amigos Summit” — a meeting between Mexican President Peña Nieto, Canadian Prime Minister Harper, and US President Obama over trade deals — and only a week after Peña Nieto’s Time magazine cover was revealed as a paid advertisement.

The billionaire on-the-run was eventually captured in a rather ordinary-looking hotel room and immediately photographed, shirtless and disheveled — the image of a bested and broken man. Normally traveling with a security team of up to 300 heavily armed men, Guzmán was, incredibly, done in without single shot fired. The “CEO of Crime” was then put in front of the cameras again, made to perform the classic “perp walk,” breaking with the tradition of the Peña Nieto administration thus far.

Joaquín El Chapo Guzmán at the moment of arrest.
Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán at the moment of arrest. Source: Mexican law enforcement.

Danny Benavides, writing for Traces of Reality, highlights the inconsistency: “Take note, for instance, the manner in which Chapo Guzmán was led out before the cameras after his arrest: a Mexican Marine seen applying a Vulcan nerve grip on the back of his neck, head down and cuffed (see video here). Then contrast that with the way captured Zetas leader Miguel Ángel Treviño Morales (alias “Z-40″) performed his perp walk: unrestrained, strutting at a cool pace alongside Mexican Marines (see video here).”

Indeed, the very capture of the drug lord itself possesses many elements of theater — so much so that even former agents of the DEA, now retired and able to speak freely, have come forward to voice their suspicions.

Former DEA supervisor, Hector Berrellez, recently went as far as to say the entire thing was “arranged.” Speaking to Narco News, Berrellez said, “Chapo was protected by Mexican federal agents and military, by the Mexican government. He was making Peña Nieto look bad, and so the government decided to withdraw his security detail. Chapo was told he could either surrender, or he would be killed.”

Hector Berrellez, Former DEA Supervisor.
Hector Berrellez, Former DEA Supervisor. Source: Proceso.

Berrellez, although retired, says he maintains contact with informants within the Mexican government and military. The information he has received from those informants accounts for the way Guzmán was captured without a struggle.

“He ran around with a several-hundred man security detail that included Mexican military and federal agents, yet, in the end, he is arrested like a rat in a hole. My sources are telling me it was an arranged thing.”

Another retired DEA agent, Phil Jordan, also expressed doubt regarding the developing storyline of El Chapo’s demise. During an interview with Univision, Jordan said he was surprised Guzmán was arrested now, while Mexico is under the control of the Institutional Revolutionary Party. He claims to have seen intelligence reports in the past that indicate Guzmán has been a strong financial supporter of the PRI and put millions of dollars into Peña Nieto’s campaign — presumably in exchange for continued protection.

Jordan’s comments support Berrellez’s assertion that El Chapo was indeed being protected by the Mexican government through its police and military, but, for whatever reason, that arrangement had come to an end.

As with Pablo Escobar in Colombia, or Al Capone in the United States, the “heroic” actions by our “saviors” in the state require willing villains to play their role. The details may vary, their fates not always the same, but the function these characters like El Chapo Guzmán play — time, and time again — is disturbingly similar.

As only one of several leaders within the Sinaloa Cartel — in itself only one of the very many drug cartels in Mexico — the arrest of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán does absolutely nothing to change the realities on the ground in Mexico. The day-to-day operations of the Sinaloa Cartel continue without interruption, and the problems caused by this “drug war” that plague the people of the Mexico and the bordering regions of the United States go on unchallenged.

The theater on display this week is the same generations-old show we’ve been asked to cheer and applaud for: the same government created and imposed problem, the same predictable public reaction and consequence, and the same state-sanctioned solution. The absurdity continues, all the while nothing improves in the lives of ordinary people, and the interests of the corrupt political and crony elite are well preserved.

Tags: DEAEl Chapo
Previous Post

Venezuela’s Economy: Two Charts Worth a Thousand Words

Next Post

Colombia: Libertarianism Is Finally on the Political Map

Guillermo Jimenez

Guillermo Jimenez

Jimenez is the English-language deputy editor for the PanAm Post and host of the Traces of Reality radio show and the Demanufacturing Consent podcast on Boiling Frogs Post. He is based in South Texas, deep within the DHS "constitution-free zone." Follow @tracesofreality.

Related Posts

The new socialist supremacisms: a maoist cultural revolution undermines the US
Columnists

The new socialist supremacisms: a maoist cultural revolution undermines the US

August 21, 2021
GETTR: the powerful weapon of Trump and international right wing
United States

GETTR: the powerful weapon of Trump and international right wing

July 13, 2021
Three Signs That Elon Musk Has the World at His Fingertips
Columnists

Trump Against Suppression of Human Rights

February 1, 2021
Three Signs That Elon Musk Has the World at His Fingertips
News

15 Republicans Who Voted Against Trump Are Already Facing the Consequences

February 1, 2021
Three Signs That Elon Musk Has the World at His Fingertips
Analysis

Three Signs That Elon Musk Has the World at His Fingertips

February 1, 2021
Three Key Moments to Remind Us That the UN Is a Nest of Oppressive Regimes
Analysis

Antiracist Baby: Netflix Series Loaded with Racially Indoctrinating Children

January 29, 2021
Next Post
Colombia: Libertarianism Is Finally on the Political Map

Colombia: Libertarianism Is Finally on the Political Map

Subscribe free and never miss another breaking story

  • Venezuela
  • Mexico
  • Colombia
  • Chile
  • Brazil
  • Argentina
  • Podcast

© 2020 PanAm Post - Design & Develop by NEW DREAM GLOBAL CORP. - Privacy policy

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Regions
    • South America
    • North America
    • Central America
    • Caribbean
  • Politics
  • Economics
  • Opinion
  • Podcast
  • Authors
  • Contact

© 2020 PanAm Post - Design & Develop by NEW DREAM GLOBAL CORP. - Privacy policy

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Privacy and Cookie Policy.