Agent who caught El Chapo reveals kingpin’s lust for hookers, mob hits and Chinese meals
US federal agent Eric Balliet played a key role in bringing down the feared leader of Mexico’s infamous Sinoloa Cartel by tapping his phone and intercepting his messages
The lid has been lifted on El Chapo(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
The man who helped capture El Chapo has given a rare glimpse inside the crime kingpin’s real life involving young prostitutes, contract killings and a lot of takeaway.
Its emerged that Joaquín Guzmán – known as one of the most notorious drug traffickers in history who chillingly claimed to have killed between 2,000 and 3,000 people- is a big fan of a Chinese.
US federal agent Eric Balliet has lifted the lid on the man behind the feared criminal persona, who he first saw in 2017 in a New York courtroom.
He said: “This was the second most wanted man on the planet at the time behind Osama bin Laden, so I was expecting him to resemble some kind of criminal genius.
The man was part of the team who brought down El Chapo(Image: AFP/Getty Images)
“But he looked like any average, middle-aged Hispanic man. He seemed kind of awkward and gave a sheepish wave to his wife. Then, a few minutes later, we started hearing about all the people he’d killed.”
Balliet worked in the team of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) who brought down the cartel boss. Investigators were able to intercept texts exchanged between El Chapo and his closest confidants and pinpoint his secret hiding place.
Balliet has told how Guzman would send nearly 100 texts a day, regularly ordering hitmen and prostitutes. But he also appeared to be a family man, messaging kind words to his children and grandchildren.
The US federal agent – who has now released a book, Kingpins & Coyotes – says the cartel kept in contact using BlackBerry Messenger.
He said: “We first came across texts that mentioned several key details, including El Chapo’s son – Edgar – who was killed in Culiacán in 2008.
“‘When we analysed the conversation there was no other reasonable explanation for who it could be. It had to be El Chapo and his second wife, Griselda.
“He liked to eat good food, particularly Chinese food, so he’d tell his courier to ‘bring me Chinese’ and the courier would know what he meant and go to a particular restaurant’, Eric recalls.
It’s claimed he loved a Chinese(Image: AFP/Getty Images)
“He’d be very specific about what he wanted and once ordered birria stew [a traditional Mexican beef dish] for breakfast.
“There were two Chapo Guzmáns: one was the man who would have people killed and corrupted anybody if it suited his needs.
“But then there was this very affectionate side of him when he was talking to his kids, especially about his granddaughters or his young twins, and he’d be saying ‘send my love’ or ‘I’m sending you strong hugs.’
“He could have had someone brutally killed and then five minutes later be sending someone a cake or an elaborate bouquet of flowers for their birthday.”
An insight has been given into the world of El Chapo(Image: AFP/Getty Images)
He also unveiled his brutal side, saying he showed no mercy when things went wrong.
“There was one time they lost more than 600 kilos of cocaine on a boat west of the Galapagos Islands and they thought a guy stole it. He actually didn’t – it was jettisoned overboard because the local coast guard approached the boat, but they blamed this poor bastard, so El Chapo told them to ‘take care of it’. The guy wasn’t heard of again.
“I’m sure some clinical psychologists would have a field day trying to understand how you can operate on those different axes.”
