Kingpin's escape a blow to Mexico leader's drug war

July 13, 2015 08:57

Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto's battle against drug cartels took a massive hit with drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman's escape, stripping him of his security strategy's biggest trophy.

Pena Nieto's nearly three years in office have been marked by a remarkable number of arrests of the country's most notorious drug kingpins. The captures of Sinaloa cartel boss Guzman and the chiefs of the Zetas, Knights Templar and Gulf criminal groups earned praise from the United States.

But Guzman's second prison break in 14 years has undermined these achievements, while reviving accusations of corruption and impunity that have shadowed the government's efforts.

US prosecutors had wanted to extradite Guzman but Mexico's government insisted on putting him on trial first.

"In the best case, this escape is embarrassing," said Alejandro Hope, a former Mexican intelligence agency official.

"It dents the image of effectiveness that (the government) had projected and it forces a rethink of that narrative that we are doing well in terms of security," said Hope, editor of the security analysis website El Daily Post.com.

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