Escaping from prison is not the only time Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman’s has used underground passage ways. Underground tunnels run throughout Mexico and are a favorite path of drug traffickers. El Chapo was able to use these underground hideaways to build an empire that landed him on Forbes magazine’s list of the world’s richest moguls.
El Chapo’s tunnel was nothing like the make-shift tunnel dug by New York escapees, Richard Matt and David Sweat. Relatively speaking, El Chapo’s tunnels were mini-mansions. After El Chapo’s escape authorities found a lighted and ventilated tunnel, with tracks and a modified motorcycle inside.
The tunnel, Mexican National Security Commissioner Monte Alejandro Rubido said Sunday, began with a 50 x 50 centimeter (20 x 20 inch) opening inside the shower of Guzman’s cell that connected to a vertical passageway going about 10 meters (33 feet) underground. The passageway, outfitted with a ladder, led to a tunnel that was about 1.7 meters (5.5 feet) tall and more than 70 centimeters (28 inches) wide.
It stretched for more than a mile and ended inside a half-built house.