CHICAGO (AP) – Reactions in the United States to the escape from Mexican prison of a reputed drug lord ranged from disbelief to outrage, with some observers saying it dramatically illustrated the need for captured cartel kingpins to be promptly extradited to the U.S.
A former administrator of the Drug Enforcement Agency said he was dismayed by Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman’s weekend escape – apparently through a mile-long tunnel – from the Altiplano prison, 55 miles west of Mexico City.
“It is a shock that the most dangerous cartel leader in the world has escaped,” Peter Bensinger said Sunday. “He ought to have been housed in an American prison.”
The Chicago Crime Commission, an influential crime-fighting group, said the prison break meant Guzman will regain his title as Public Enemy No. 1 in Chicago, where his Sinaloa cartel has long dominated the cocaine and heroin trade.
“It’s clear that Mexican prisons are not equipped to hold Guzman,” said John Pastuovic. a spokesman for the non-governmental body. “This would not have occurred if he had been in an American prison.”