The Hollywood Dream of El Chapo Guzmán

Following the news of the arrest of El Chapo Guzmán, the notorious Mexican drug trafficker who escaped from the high-security Altiplano prison in Mexico City last summer, a detailed interview with him conducted by American actor Sean Penn was published in Rolling Stone magazine. According to The Guardian, Sean Penn conducted the interview immediately after Guzmán's dramatic prison escape. In this interview, Guzmán spoke about the world of drug trafficking, a life of luxury, and how he enlisted European engineers to dig the tunnel that facilitated his escape from the high-security prison. Mexican security officials claimed that by tracking Sean Penn's movements, they were able to locate the farm where Guzmán was hiding, which was situated in western Mexico. According to Agence France-Presse, Sean Penn's interview with Guzmán lasted seven hours. Rolling Stone announced that Guzmán read and approved the final text of the interview before publication. In this interview, Guzmán stated, 'I have trafficked more heroin, meth, cocaine, and marijuana than anyone else in this world... I have an army of submarines, planes, tanks, and boats at my disposal.' This is in stark contrast to his last interview over two decades ago, where he referred to himself as a 'farmer.' Sean Penn's contact with Guzmán was facilitated by a Mexican actress critical of the government named Kate del Castillo, who served as a translator during the interview. Guzmán mentioned that he has not used any drugs for twenty years and seemed to express dissatisfaction with drug trafficking, stating, 'The reality is that drugs are destructive, but where I grew up, there was no other way to survive. The situation is still the same.' Guzmán was born and raised in one of the poorest regions of Mexico. He was arrested on Friday while attempting to escape again through a tunnel in the city of Los Mochis, Mexico. According to the Attorney General of Mexico, Guzmán had also been in talks with several film producers regarding making a movie about his life. It seems that this time, his Hollywood dream led to his arrest.