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El Chapo: The Story

El Chapo was born as Joaquin Archivaldo Guzman Loera in Sinaloa, Mexico. The sources disagree about his birth date. He dropped out of school to work with his father, selling oranges and was often beaten by him. With not many options for employment, he started cultivating opium poppy with his family. At the age of 15, he started cultivating his own marijuana plantation. When his father kicked him out of the home as a teenager, his uncle, Pedro Aviles Perez, a drug trafficking pioneer in Mexico, helped him leave his hometown. El Chapo’s net worth started going up rapidly after he entered the world of organized crime.

He started as a drug mule, running drugs from the Sierra to major Mexican cities and to the US border. He developed a reputation for his efficiency and ruthlessness. By the late 70s, he started working with another rising dealer, Hector Luis Palma Salazar, overseeing the drug movement from his home district in Sinaloa. He became the supervising logistics officer for the founder of the Guadalajara cartel, Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo. After his boss was arrested, El Chapo inherited some of his territories and founded his cartel, Sinaloa. He was building his cartel methodically and by the early 90s, he was considered one of the most powerful and dangerous drug traffickers in Mexico. Sinaloa took control of the cocaine trade in the region from South America to the United States, controlling 25% of the illegal drug traffic. The cartel operated on five continents and went on to become the biggest drug organization in the world.

El Chapo Net Worth

The drug kingpin started expanding in Tijuana, thus invading the cartel of the Arellano Felix brothers which resulted in a deadly gang war. Afterwards, when El Chapo flew to Guatemala, he was arrested and sentenced to 20 years. Even behind bars, El Chapo maintained his power and ran his cartel from the inside. He used his wealth to keep his extravagant lifestyle in prison and eventually managed to stage his escape from a maximum security ward. The escape cost him $2.5 million and resulted in the detention of 73 prison guards.

The drug empire wasn’t affected by his time in prison. In 2009, Sinaloa was making $3 billion per year and El Chapo’s net worth was put at $1 billion, placing him at number 701 on the Forbes World’s Richest People list. The second warfare with Tijuana drew the attention of the authorities. The US DEA considered that Guzman surpassed the influence of Pablo Escobar and became the most wanted drug trafficker. El Chapo vs. Pablo Escobar was always a silent competition. The killing of Guzman’s son triggered a series of killings. The Sinaloa leader was arrested in 2014. But, the kingpin managed to escape again, this time through a tunnel that connected his cell to a house. He was recaptured in 2016 and extradited to the United States in 2017 to face charges. However, the authorities still can’t find El Chapo’s money.

El Chapo’s net worth in 2017 was guesstimated at $2-4 billion, according to Bruce M Bagley, an expert on Mexico’s drug trade.

El Chapo Net Worth & Spending Habits

In the 2015 raid of El Chapo’s house in Sinaloa, the authorities confiscated more than 33 luxury cars which had an estimated net worth of $5 million, including a Dodge Viper, a Jeep Sahara, and a Ducati. Although there aren’t many records about the lifestyle of the drug lord, his kids surely don’t hesitate to show off the organized crime money. El Chapo’s kids display their outrageous lives surrounded by cars, guns, wild parties, and exotic animals kept as pets, on social media platforms.

El Chapo Net Worth
Reportedly, El Chapo has been giving back to his community, investing the revenue from his drug trafficking back into his homeland. Also, the cartel allegedly protects the people from other criminal organizations. El Chapo has had a Robin Hood status, and back in his hometown was even called a ‘narco-saint’.

El Chapo Net Worth: CelebJury Ruling

El Chapo’s net worth made him the 10th richest person in Mexico. The kingpin raised his drug empire to be one of the world’s biggest cartels. Now, while Guzman waits the drug trial of the century, Sinaloa’s power is slowly declining. The destinies of both the cartel and its leader are uncertain at this moment. Make sure to check out CelebJury daily for more celebrity net worth news.