El Chapo
Joaquin Guzman Loera (El Chapo) has not done well since his escape from Amaloya Prison. He still has a dozen wives and God only knows how many children, and he “had” a high overhead with all of his properties and business enterprises. But that’s not what drove the man. He wanted to be loved and respected.
By the time he was arrested this week, he’d seen his kingdom shrink. The only ally he’d been able to draw into his post-escape empire was the Tijuana Cartel (Arellano-Felix Organization), which has been far more than decimated in recent years and is only a shadow of its former self. Chapo could no longer ride around on American-made helicopters, given to Mexico and the Mexican Army for the purpose of fighting the drug war. Things changed for him.
I thought that he would retreat to his vast holdings in Canada or elsewhere in South America where he owns large estancias (ranches), but it was more important for him to be Chapo than to live out his life in peace. He hung out and was seen in Guadalajara. When pressure was applied, he moved to the mountains east of Los Mochis in Sinaloa where he has several facilities. Then it ended for him. 
My sense is that he will be extradited to the US and will live out the remainder of his life at the SuperMax Prison in Aurora, Colorado. 
A number of the other older narco kingpins have remained in the business, but you must understand that most of these people/organizations make as much or more money in ‘legitimate’ commerce than they do in the drug trade. This became even more the case after the 2008 financial melt-down that struck Mexico every bit as hard as it did the USA. Drug lords, flush with cash, bought businesses that were going under for pennies on the dollar.
As I presently understand it, Juan José Esparragoza Moreno (El Azul) plans to move out of the drug business completely and will buy up much of the Mexican national petroleum company, PEMEX, which is transitioning from a publicly owned concern to a private one. There will be fronts and wheels within wheels, but it’s a better gig than kingpin from an economic standpoint. El Azul was always smarter than Chapo.
Most of the kingpins moved their families to San Antonio, Texas, which has experienced significant growth in recent years. San Antonio is a straight shot from Guadalajara, Jalisco. They don’t caper in San Antonio, they live there. 

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10 COMMENTS

  2. The big exodus to San Antonio began in earnest 3-4 years ago. There are a lot of big new ranch houses in the area…A lot of intense shopping in the malls there, etc. It's good for the economy, but brings an undercurrent of trouble.

  3. Doesn’t every man want to be loved and respected?
    Why the hell would he want a dozen wives? I’m surprised that didn’t drive him to his own drugs.
    Well, he’s probably never been to Colorado, make a nice change for him. He can run his shrinking empire from the inside. It’s endearing to know that some of these people have good business acumen in acquiring other commercial outlets but somewhat sickening that its off the back of abusing others.

  6. The SuperMax allows no communication. Court rules means that he must be allowed outside. That is accomplished by being at the bottom of a deep shaft, looking up at light. Prisoners don't want to go there.

    It's not as if he has to see the wives often. The first wife, Alejandrina, who I know, hasn't seen him in years.

  8. Yes. I think that this is his last dance. That's why they'll ship him to the US. It will end their headache. Because his star is fading, there won't be a hue and cry from the narcos (who do heavily influence government in Mexico) to "save Chapo from the Yanqui prison".

  10. Yes, I think that it is.

    The presence of so many narco families does not necessarily signal danger. In fact Guadalajara was a nice city and relatively safe until the Calderon government generated a protracted narco war between various factions – ending up in prominent families relocating their loved ones to San Antonio.

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