HomeNewsBrief'Chapo' Guzman in Bolivia?
BRIEF

'Chapo' Guzman in Bolivia?

BOLIVIA / 2 SEP 2011 BY RONAN GRAHAM EN

An investigation by TV network Univision suggest that fugitive Mexican drug lord Joaquin Guzman Loera, alias 'El Chapo,' has been expanding his operations in Bolivia, relying on a network of powerful contacts.

Bolivian government documents obtained by Univision indicate that Guzman, head of the Sinaloa Cartel, has taken advantage of the “environment of corruption” which exists in that country, enabling him to expand his cocaine business.

According to the news agency, it is stated in the government documents that one of Guzman's sons has been living in Bolivia under a false identity and posing as a Bolivian.

The report states that at least 40 prominent individuals, among them high ranking police officers, lawyers and businessmen, are involved in drug trafficking and have assisted Guzman.

One document suggests that General Oscar Nina, Bolivia’s anti-drug police chief, has been corrupted by drug trafficking gangs.

Bolivian government minister Sasha Llorenti is been accused of failing to properly investigate links between disgraced former police general Rene Sanabria and drug traffickers.

Sanabria, a former head of Bolivia’s counternarcotics force, is facing charges in the U.S. of running a cocaine trafficking ring with links to Guzman.

Guzman, still at large, is one of the world's most wanted fugitives and has an estimated fortune of $1 billion.

See Univision's full video report, below.

share icon icon icon

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

What are your thoughts? Click here to send InSight Crime your comments.

We encourage readers to copy and distribute our work for non-commercial purposes, with attribution to InSight Crime in the byline and links to the original at both the top and bottom of the article. Check the Creative Commons website for more details of how to share our work, and please send us an email if you use an article.

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

Related Content

BOLIVIA / 8 NOV 2022

Environmental crime is driving deforestation across the Amazon, where some parts are now emitting more carbon dioxide than they absorb.

CHAPITOS / 3 MAY 2021

The conviction of Ismael Zambada-Imperial, son of the Sinaloa Cartel's top leader, in the US may be a headline-grabber but…

ARGENTINA / 1 FEB 2022

In 2021, most countries in Latin America and the Caribbean experienced a marked increase in murders. Resurgent violence was to…

About InSight Crime

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela Coverage Continues to be Highlighted

3 MAR 2023

This week, InSight Crime co-director Jeremy McDermott was the featured guest on the Americas Quarterly podcast, where he provided an expert overview of the changing dynamics…

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela's Organized Crime Top 10 Attracts Attention

24 FEB 2023

Last week, InSight Crime published its ranking of Venezuela’s ten organized crime groups to accompany the launch of the Venezuela Organized Crime Observatory. Read…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime on El País Podcast

10 FEB 2023

This week, InSight Crime co-founder, Jeremy McDermott, was among experts featured in an El País podcast on the progress of Colombia’s nascent peace process.

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime Interviewed by Associated Press

3 FEB 2023

This week, InSight Crime’s Co-director Jeremy McDermott was interviewed by the Associated Press on developments in Haiti as the country continues its prolonged collapse. McDermott’s words were republished around the world,…

THE ORGANIZATION

Escaping Barrio 18

27 JAN 2023

Last week, InSight Crime published an investigation charting the story of Desafío, a 28-year-old Barrio 18 gang member who is desperate to escape gang life. But there’s one problem: he’s…