El Chapo's Arrest: Money Laundering and Mexico's Drug War
April 25, 2014 NACLA.org With the capture of Joaquín “ El Chapo ” Guzmán on February 21, a number of questions have surfaced regarding the association and assistance between the U.S. government, big banks, and arguably the world’s most powerful drug trafficker . Guzmán had been the head of the Sinaloa cartel, an organization with a global reach and responsible for an estimated 30% of the cross border drug trade. His takedown has been hailed as a monumental victory for law enforcement and the global War on Drugs. However, using history as a guide, it would be irresponsible to think that the arrest will make a significant dent in the drug trade or that this is a simple case of the good guys coming out on top. While El Chapo may have risen up the ranks of the cartel, and into Forbes magazine's list of the 100 most powerful people , he did not get there just through being incredibly shrewd or ruthless. Anabel Hernández, investigative reporter and author of Narcoland