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Sunday, August 23, 2015

El Chapo is a dead man: Popeye Chief Sicario of Pablo Escobar

Translated by Otis B Fly-Wheel for Borderland Beat from a Proceso article

[ Subject Matter: El Chapo
Recommendation: No prior subject matter knowledge required]

Jhon Jairo Velasquez, nicknamed "Popeye"

Reporter: Rafael Croda
Don't take this as a threat, said the cold calculated ex head of Sicario's for Pablo Escobar, Jhon Jairo Velasquez, nicknamed "Popeye", one of the three surviving members of the Medellin Cartel, is sure that the Mexican Capo will be captured if all his enemies, Police, Military, American Agents and including Los Zetas, unite to locate him.

The problem, he says, is that the Mexican Government doesn't consider it convenient that he lives.




One year after leaving prison, and in spite that there is " an 80% chance of being killed", the ex Chief of Sicario's lives in Medellin without hiding.

At a law office in an exclusive area of Medellin (Otis: probably El Poblado Barrio), Popeye arrived with two bodyguards, he spoke about the process of his freedom after 23 years in prison and step by step, talks about following the news of the criminal underworld, including the escape of the Mexican drug trafficker Joaquin Guzman Loera.

The ex-gunman who spent ten years at the side of Escobar and has lived with the criminal elite of Colombia:

El Chapo is a dead man

Why?

He knows that he has to be killed, because if they capture him he will be extradited to the United States. He would not be able to take life in a United States Supermax prison. There he would receive three meals a day, no body will speak to him, there is no human contact and any letter he receives is only shown to him on a television screen.

You believe El Chapo would not be able to take this kind of regime?

No, when he is allowed out of his cell it will be to take some open air in a cage, and for a recalcitrant Mexican like El Chapo, as was true for Pablo Escobar when he lived here in Colombia,  to be in prison in the United States is an unbearable thing, and this is why El Chapo will be killed.

According to this vision of Velasquez Vasquez, a retired bandit, the Sinaloan Capo knows that if he is captured his will be extradited to the United States because for the Government of Enrique Pena Nieto " it would be impossible to keep El Chapo in a Mexican prison after his last escape".

Popeye also escaped from prison on 22nd of July 1992. He did this with Pablo Escobar, the head of the Medellin Cartel, when the Government of Cesar Gaviria wanted to transfer them from the "La Catedral" prison which Escobar controlled, to a Military prison.

Escobar, the principal narco trafficker of his epoch, was at large for 16 months and 11 days, on December the 2nd, 1993, he was shot dead on a roof top in Medellin, while being pursued by members of the search block, a group of Police-Military elite who chased him day and night.

According to Popeye, it will take the Mexican Authorities between 16 and 18 months to locate him.

Where did you come up with these time scales?

It is the logical time scale according to their finances, Chapos family and his security apparatus. That is not from one day to another are small steps, they have to carry out a lot of intelligence work, and that can be slow, but may be sped up because El Chapo is a political issue for the Mexican Government of Honor.

Original article in Spanish at Proceso

81 comments:

  1. one thing for sure hes reading blog del narco he said zetas to unite lol.that just shows he knows nothing .proceso and their off the wall interveiws .only thing i can think now is chapo faking his death.mayo has a good relationship with proceso.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. He said Zetas because he knows CDS got their asses kicked all Mexico by the Z. Anyone who has paid attention to the Mexican drug war with impartial eyes know that Chapo hasn't been able to do much of anything against the Zetas.

      Delete
    2. that was before when zetas were very strong under Lazcanos leadership and then under z-40's. Zetas are weak now all big bosses got taken out. all the original GAFES are either dead or in jail they got no strong leadership and no military strategists anymore and that's what made them prevail against CDS in the past.now they are just a bunch of drug addicts with no strategy or common cause

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    3. Even with the Z being as weak as you say CDS has still been ineffective against them. There are still Zeta bosses running the show behind the scenes you just don't hear about them much. Just because they aren't in the media everyday doesn't mean they aren't doing work.

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    4. Only Zetas haters think dey r weak...
      but it is not !!!

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    5. Lukyanow seems to be all zeta all the time 24/7...
      --how do you justify all the murdering the zetas are famous for?

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    6. they are weak, unorganized and lack vision and leadership. Z42-z40= 2 pendejos bien hechos. mandaron a la verga una orgazinazion que tenia mas future..

      Delete
  2. this guy is washed up. he is just looking for some attention before he is killed

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    Replies
    1. The tables are turning on the eagle with the snake biting the eagles neck. Mexico should just make a new flag!!!!!

      Delete
  3. Say what? Chapo can't handle prison in the US? But I thought he was the mighty Chapo Guzman who can do all things because he is the second coming of Harry Houdini. Plenty of commenters have said the same thing about Chapo not making it in a US supermax. When Chapo is cornered I believe the battle will last for days. It will last much longer than the battle that killed Tony Tormenta.

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    Replies
    1. When he's cornered nothing will happen, he'll simply pussy out and give up. This is the bet: if he gives up (he will) like the sissy he is then you're a joto.

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    2. Oh i didn't say Chapo will actually fight 3:10. I said the battle will last for days only because Chapo is Sinaloa's meal ticket and they won't let him go easily: While his sicarios are doing all the fighting Chapo will be hiding in a tunnel burrowing like a chipmunk.

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  4. This nigga just making shit up as he goes

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  5. Big Difference, Columbian government wanted Pablo Escobar dead. He threatened to over throw the government. The Mexican government wants Chapo out and alive so he can control the flow of drugs and pay the government it's percentage. The US was Chapo out and control the flow of drugs because he is no threat to the Mexican government. The last thing the US wants is a failed Mexican government and half of Mexico fleeing to the US. Look at the big picture.

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  6. Why does anyone listen to this guy? He just craves attention,and were giving it to him. I wonder how many people this man has killed?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. He's killed a lot of people and many innocents.. He should be in prison for life..

      Shows the type of corruption that goes on in Colombia.

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    2. My opinion is that chapo is already digging a tunnel to spring la chucky.
      He wants her to have his baby!

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    3. Im still waiting to hear on news about el pitufu because el chapo is boring now.

      Delete
    4. I don't know how many he killed, but i do know he didn't save one important one.... Pablo....lol

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    5. He was a hitman not a bodyguard 3:19.

      Delete
  7. Why wasnt there a "popeye" in the Mini series about Escobar on netflix? His chief hitman was named "chili"..

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    Replies
    1. Popeye was a sailor. "Marino" in the series is playing the part of Popeye.

      Delete
    2. Marino is popeye el chili is pinina.

      Delete
  8. I have no idea why this guy has now appeared in a second BB post. Pablo Escobar?

    1. Colombia. 2. the 1990's.

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  9. GOOGLE HIM OR GO 2 DEA .GOV N YOU FIND OUT 9.02 AM !!

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  10. Chapo is a threat to the Mexican Government so many Mexican politicos r in involved, Chapo is save in Mexico.

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  11. Its like you interviewed one of these random commentators with theur crazy theories

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  12. Whats this puto still Doing alive ? Didn't stick by Pablo til the end .I guess Columbia let him keep his assets .

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  13. what is he the damn hannibal lecter of sicarios? every time they want an "Expert" they wheel this guy out...please stop giving this idiot a voice

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  14. Pablo was killed in this fashion so Chapo's fate will end like that too, EPN wants him badly because of the embarrassment that happened and EPN is a man of honor
    Atte. Popeye

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  15. It will take longer to capture or kill Chapo. Popeye forgot that the mexican govnment is on his payroll.

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  16. Notice the first thing this " so called brave sicario said" was dnt take this as a threat!.. Cuz he knw El Chapo, Ivan, & Alfredo a have his ass hit!.. So he may b talkin sideways!.. But he ain't stupid!.. We his scared ass!.. Matter of fact!.. Where was "Popeye" at when Pablo Escobar was gunned dwn on tht roof?!. Somewhere hidin like the bitch he is!.. JaJaJa

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. He was actually already busted by the time Pablo went down fyi

      Delete
    2. When you surrender to protective custody and cook your deals it is not "busted", proof is he is free papaya now, maybe the kiers of la Viuda Negra will give him a ride somewhere quiet...

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  17. He has killed 250-300 personally and ordered around 3000.

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    Replies
    1. Yeah so he claims.

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    2. With all the bombings they did I believe it

      Delete
    3. Colombians have perfected shallow grave burials. They don't leave people lying all over the place to be easily found by children. Plus, Colombia is a dense rain forest with quick sand, flesh eating bacteria, anacondas, crocs, coral snakes, etc.

      Delete
  18. Ke onda raza este pendejo ya no encuentra que decir con tal de agarrar algo de atencion. El pendejo este no aprovecho para guardar dinero cuando andubo de narco y ahora dice pendejada y media por unos cuantos pesitos.

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  19. ... He Has "0" Knowledge About Chapo, Let Alone About The Mexican Governments Plan To Apprehend Him ... Who Cares About Popeye, He Is Washed Up And Has Been Out Of The Loop For Many, Many Years ...

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  20. If they kill chapo theres still el mayo i caro quintero bosses from sinaloa who will step and take control of the cartel , como dijo el mz "si me matan o me atrapan nada cambia" other thing this guy is bigger than pablo escobar so theres a chance he never gets captured againg

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  21. This interview was whack as fuck!! This mother fucker said if the Mexican military, American agents and zetas unite!!! Lol!!!! What a joke!!!

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  22. This guy is stupid chapo isn't as violent as Pablo was he was a terrorist blowing government shit up car bombs etc chapo is not a priority in Mexico right now as long as epn is prez and I'm shire the next prez is lined up to serve chapo and mayo

    ReplyDelete
  23. The difference between Pablo and Chapo is that Pablo systematically targeted government institutions. Chapo frowns on that type of behavior even when incarcerated in Altiplano. Chapo is a folk hero in Mexico and some parts of the Southwest and Midwest U.S. Just like Don Rafa, Don Mayo and El Azul. I myself a US citizen would not turn him in simply because he is a necessary evil in Mexico. All the other cartel capos in Mexico are mugrosos.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Your Chaputo is a Snitch Bitch!

      Delete
    2. Yes, the Chapó who'd rather HIS youngest fly the red, white, and blue. This is the Chapó some Mexican people admire??? Chapo is no Emiliano. Emiliano was abandoned by his Govt and his people. Shame.

      Like John Gotti, if and when he goes to a US Fed prison, no one will care who he "was" on the outside.

      Delete
  24. I wanna be on the news too!
    DRUG TRAFFICKING NEVER SLOWED DOWN:
    --before el chapo or pablo escobar started participating.
    --While they were in prison, the first, second or third time
    --after they escaped the first the second or the third time.
    --after pablo escobar's death...
    --the business just changed hands, it went to US pretty boys in colombia who have been proven to also be in the drug trafficking business, the only difference is they are in good standing with their US partners and handlers...
    --in mexico it remains to be seen who wins, but killing el chapo will not stop him from talking, just like arrest did not keep la barbie from talking, or ruben espinoza...
    --Knowing their drug trafficking and money laundering associates does not keep the US from doing business with them, from mitt romney, oliver north, felix ismael rodriguez and other US cartels, to manlio fabio beltrones "la fabis" , manuel cavazos lerma, ernesto zedillo "la neta", his boyfriend sec of defense...the US government looks the other way and hides reports of their big and small crimes...
    --Popeye is a rat, you do not escape alive with a nice deal when you are a rat...Popeye is free and still can not stop being a rat, I do not mind a snitch, but a rat?

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  25. Garbage Ass story

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  26. ''I wonder how many people this man has killed?''
    We could say the same thing about Chapo,but on here let's not..Could get some people twisted,just a bit ?

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  27. Grumpy Colombian his boss is dead while he still in Jail his obviously jelous of el Chapo cause he's out this fu thinks he knows everything cause he was a sicaria hahaha like 20 years ago acting like he knows WATS going on so lame

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  28. I hope they capture chapo and send him to the US

    ReplyDelete
  29. Many are saying he is not making sense. But one this is right, Chapo does not want to be in an American prison. He will never get the luxurious perks Mexico gave. Also he is correct with the letters. They are opened, read, acreened, before you see them, if you see them. Both letters coming in and going out. His communication abilities would diminish completely. This guy may crave attention, but what drug capo or trafficker doesn't? I do think this guy will now wind up dead and of course the finger will point at Chapo. He is right, Chapo will not last in an American prison with the strict rules. At least the one he would go to. He would rather be dead or free. Attention or not for this guy, he is correct.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. He's not saying anything that someone with 2 brain cells hasnt already figured out. This guy has nothing to add to the discussion, except for his "16 months" theory which even he couldnt back up

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    2. "This guy may crave attention, but what drug capo or trafficker doesn't?"

      LMAO, good one! You're out of your mind if you wasn't kidding. :D

      Delete
  30. I'm going to laugh after these 18 months pass.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And then cry when Chapo is dead in 19th month.

      Delete
  31. IMO, Chapo is as safe as a baby in his mama's loving arms. His mama being corrupt government officials as well as many other powerful people. I suggest thhat Chapo has lots of hard evidence of high crimes and misdemeanors in safe locations that are to be released "if" he or his loved ones are harmed in any way.

    I am sure that Chapo knows many secrets that include incriminating documents, audio and graphic recordings on powerful people. I am also fairly positive that Chapo has professional of all kinds on his staff that are ready and able to execute his well planned moves if he is captured or harmed.

    Also, if Chapo is captured, harmed, or killed it will be by some "out of the loop" entity not in on the protection shield he has designed years ago. He will not be a Pablo Escobar, bet on it. He may end up in a better situation than that Mexican POS, Carlos Salinas.

    Mexico-Watcher

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  32. This guy is like a dinosaur, a legend in his own right. I think if anyone is credible to putting input on this site, he'd be the one to listen to. You guys criticize him for keeping up with Proceso but I bet you check this site daily... And if you must know how many people hes killed... He mentions it in an interview you can probably see on Youtube.

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    Replies
    1. Never ask a hitman how many people he's killed, its like asking a fisherman how big his fish was

      Delete
  33. The difference between Chapo and Pablo is Pablo didnt have the blessing of the government nor the support of the people . Even on this side of the border the average person on the street is rooting for Chapo because everybody or I should say most people hate hypocrites and thats what the Mex government is seen as ... And Chapo is somewhat a folk hero who is guilty of a lot of things that go with the territory but doesnt scratch the surface of what the Mx gvtmnt does everyday ...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Have you ever been to medellin?? The people of Medellin loved pablo still do. Dont ever forget that the mexicans buy off the colombians.

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    2. I see how out of touch you are with "average" people . I guess its culture vs. subculture

      Delete
  34. This guy been out the game for 40yrs. He washed up.

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  35. Someone slap popeye! Things are different now a days, if they cant find a aging slow Caro Quintero, ull never find Chapo again.

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  36. Damn most comments here are funny haha a lot of you idiots need to stop listening to corridos it's affecting your brains lol you guys worship chapo too much...they say chapo is a folk hero that he helps the people out.yea he's helped some but that don't make him a hero if I remember correctly he started invading other territories that he wanted and that started the narco war in many areas in mexico if anything all this mess all these killings that have happened in Mexico the past few years is because of chapo and yes the government is to blame as well those mother fuckers are way too corrupt mexico is going down the drain and I don't think popeye is saying all this because he wants attention why would he remember he's a marked man in Colombia many want him dead so I don't think he wants that much attention..all you idiots saying he's scared haha this mofo killed a shit load of people he did a lot of crazy things in the past he ain't scared

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  37. This guy don't know shit, in fact if you read up on his snitching you would know his life expectancy is very short

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    Replies
    1. Same ol same ol . Sure he snitched . You act like he is a exception . All hard criminals snitch to try and better their situation. ALL ! The little runt will sing like a well trained song bird when it comes his time . When he gets extradited or kidnapped and shipped north he will tell all . They will slap him once to get him to talk and a couple times to get him to shut up .
      I can just hear it now . "Shorty you cant give up your mother in this conspiracy again this week , it has to be somebody new to get the extra 5 minutes of recreation time ".

      Delete
    2. @August 25, 2015 at 5:50 PM

      LOL :D

      Delete
    3. Yeah yeah, keep dreaming your pipe dreams until then, people have been kidnapped and released on the USSA soil for law enforcement to catch...over kiki camarena's...
      --the guy what'shisname: BEAT THE USSA IN COURT WITH THEIR OWN LAWS, LAWYERS, SINS, AND SINNERS... and got released back to mexico...
      --Colaborator DFS Comandante Luis Gonzalez Calderoni got chased all over the country until he ran to the USSA where he got his just desserts in texas, for messing with the CIA...and helping the DEA...
      --Calderoni's friends from trampaulipas CDG also got all facked up, by coincidence...see? It is all coincidence...

      Delete
  38. The guy is right. He knows more about what has and is going on with drug movements and groups than most here ever will. He's in the wholesale warehouse (Colombia), not the retail store (Mexico).

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    Replies
    1. Colombia s days as the whole seller are gone

      Delete
    2. bahaha colombians pioneered the business and still run it to this day. Mexicans outright own the drug trafficking into north america undisputed no question. But the colombians own the cocaine business paramiltarys and leftest guerillas role down theyre.

      Delete
    3. Only because colombia's markets can not handle all the "exports" other countries want to do their own exports, because bananas got old and all the table scraps and banana peels can not support the banana republics gorillas in charge, they are allowed to move.some of their own 'produce'...
      --But colombia is the queen, it's coca traffickers can have their own ejercitos de liberacion nacional and traffic to their hearts' content, murder cartel bosses and guerrilla commanders, become president... and shit...

      Delete
  39. Colombia pal mundo!

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  40. Colombia the only cocaine staging franchised by the US...and the CIA...
    --all the others will be RICOed and persecuted all the way to hell, their money will be taken, and their chdren, the dogs, the cats...

    ReplyDelete
  41. OFF TOPIC: Jhon Jairo "Popeye" Velasquez Vasquez's life story is still unfolding although his place in Colombia's history is already secured--etched  in stone.  He is charmingly articulate in his Paisa dialect with a likeable personality and killer smile that matches his eyes.

    This is a very powerful man, let's not kid ourselves. Plomo isn't his weapon, anymore. Neither, is money. Information is. Jhon Jairo's the guy who's got the real goods on 100's and 100's of public figures, including international notables and Colombia's elected officials with past and current ties to contract killings and their own cocaine generated fortunes.

    In a couple of his early interviews, Jhon Jairo calls himself a "born bandit." He says it's Escobar who holds the world record for criminal genius. One would beg to differ--Pablo's trusted, right-hand man, Popeye, was the working half of Escobar's brain. 

    As his  lugarteniente, Popeye headed the Medellin Cartel's motorcycle assassins. Some say there were as many as 2,500 to 3,000 hitmen operating under his domain in the 1980's.  Popeye is credited with four thousand killings carried out on direct orders from Escobar. His monikers, (Popeye, Marino or el Marinero), stem from time spent on his education at the Naval School near Barranquilla, not far from Cartagena. He is an expert sniper-- we could add "Sure Shot" to his specialized nicknames. He once belonged to Colombia's National Police and is a highly trained soldier, sent by the Colombian Army for weapons and defense courses run by Israel's Special Forces. Velasquez Vasquez brought a unique skill set with him when he signed on to work for Escobar.

    Like, so many others on the legendary drug lord's payroll, Popeye saw the world through el Patron's hyper focused lens. Generalissimo and saviour, Escobar, the punishing deity with his strange mix of violence, blood, paternalism and philanthropy lured his multi-tasking groupies into fighting for home and hearth, paisa style, armed with cocaine, bullets, bombs  and cash. Popeye's active run with his omnipotent idol curses Colombia over three decades. He ends it when he hands himself in to Colombian authorities in 1992. Popeye chooses incarceration in Bogota's notorious prison system for his own protection from Escobar's  enemies. And, to prevent his extradition to the US. Escobar gets taken down on a Medellin roof top, presumably, by el Bloque and the Delta troops in 1993 on December 2nd. El Patron's birthday turns out to be December 1st.

    2001-2002 bring various armed conflicts to Bogota's El Modelo prison which are believed to involve Popeye.
    He's given a 12 prison sentence in 2008. By agreement with the authorities, he is released on "Conditional Liberty" in August, 2014. Jhon Jairo Velasquez Vasquez's agreement: "Declare and prove the implications of Colombian authorities' abuses in Colombia's prison system."
    K-K

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  42. I don't think shorty will be killed unless its to keep him quiet . I would be the U.S. will be tired of dicking around with Mexico . They have shelled out a lot of money and located him several times for the Mexicans and they always sabotage it . The U.S. want the little feller and what he knows . I think if he lives through it they will get him without Mexico . With the miles of coast lines near chapos stomping ground I think they will arrest him in California .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. (6:22PM, Shorty will run the fate of most arms traffickers--he'll OD on Viagra; later on down the road, his great-great grandkids will be insufferable trust fund babies and high ranking politicos!). PROCESO's article is flawlessly translated, (Thx BB!), but it is one that is slightly out of context because it's cobbled together by the newspaper from an interview Popeye gave in prison at least 3 years, ago, (while Chapo Guzman was still at large after the first vanishing act). In a more recent interview Jhon Jairo "Popeye" Velasquez Vasques spoke to la rivista Colombiana SEMANA about el Chapo's escape this summer. He said a lot of things--he's a gifted conversationalist. His take, though, seems to be Shorty's disappearing act has to have cost him around $50 million USAD, besides tedious months to set in motion. He also shot the tunnel theories out of the water. It would be impossible to construct in a maximum security prison. There are heat seeking and motion detectors buried 10 metres deep throughout the prison grounds and the area surrounding Altiplano.
      In the SEMANA piece, the former Medellin cartel hitman does say he thinks Chapo's biggest problem is the $20 million dollar DEA/CEA price tag on his head. If both agencies want you, they'll get you-- dead, or alive, adding "They're good at their jobs."
      K-K

      Delete
  43. Chapo is nowhere near Escobar. all Chapo does is give shot calls and orders, Pablo actually got his hands dirty. Chapo has the Mexican Government on his side, Pablo was anti-government. Pablo, did help out the people of Colombia, Chapo only helps out and satisfies his self and narco-buddies. Only people that cheer for El Chapo are pochos that live in the US and are brainwashed by the narcocorrido garbage.

    ReplyDelete

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