Commentary:
Por Laura Carlsen

Led by the Mexican Navy, agents and troops moved in on a beach condominium in the resort city of Mazatlan at 4 AM. The bloodless siege yielded the leader of the Sinaloa cartel and 13 other individuals said to be related to cartel operations, according to Mexican Attorney General Jesus Murillo Karam, from a Navy hangar.

Oddly, the first news came not from the Mexican government or media, but from the US agency Associated Press, shortly before 10 AM. The Mexican government waited hours until El Chapo had reportedly been transported to Mexico City, before going public. El Chapo is now being held in the high-security prison of Altiplano, in Mexico State.

Also oddly, President Enrique Peña Nieto did not appear publicly to announce the capture, nor did he appear the rest of the day. Some seven hours after the arrest — he tweeted:

I salute the labor of Mexico’s security institutions, in achieving the arrest of Joaquín Guzmán Loera in Mazatlán.

This is a big change from the past, when major arrests were paraded through the media and heralded as turning points in the endless drug war. Why so low-key this time, precisely when it regards the most wanted figure of all? The Sinaloa Cartel that El Chapo leads is recognized as being by far the largest and most powerful in the country, and according to some experts, the world. We may see an increase in the hype after Peña Nieto returns from his week-end break.

Scenarios all add up to more drug war

A number of scenarios open up now, none of which imply an end to drug war violence or trafficking. They are:

1. “The hydra effect”: In Greek mythology the hydra, a sea serpent, grew three heads for every one cut off. The Sinaloa Cartel has been reorganizing and no one beleives it hasn’t prepared for this day. It is probable that a successor has already been chosen and trained in taking the reins of the organization.

2. “Inside or Outside, sigue siendo el rey”: It’s important to recall that the cartel did not fall apart the first time El Chapo was in prison and in fact business went on as usual. It is common for drug lords to dispense from prison. The exploits of El Chapo while locked up–sumptuous parties, privileges, expensive foods and drugs, sex, etc.–are legendary. We could see a replay of a simulated “punishment” that at once justifies the drug war and takes the heat off what has frequently been characterized as the favored cartel.

3. “Manufactured fracture”: The end result of the bust could be a fracturing of the Sinaloa Cartel, such as happened before with the Gulf Cartel and La Familia. Some security strategists favor this result because it theoretically reduces the threat to the State as the groups are broken into smaller entities as happened in Colombia. However, based on previous experience in Mexico this is the worst scenario in terms of the impact on public safety and violence. Moreover, the brutality and lack of centralized control often common among the splinter groups ends up being more of a threat. My take is that this will not happen, at least not in the short term, to the Sinaloa Cartel.

4. “Confirming disaster”: The take-down of El Chapo would help to increase Congressional support for the drug war in Mexico, giving both Peña Nieto and Obama wide berth to spend more on the militarist model at a time when it is severely questioned. By confirming this model–widely regarded as failed despite headline busts–the violence will increase, more taxpayer dollars will be diverted from social needs to war, and war contractors and the DEA will reap increased income and support. As everyone celebrates the capture of a powerful and ruthless drug lord, this would actually be very bad news for both Mexico and the United States.

Trying Times

The “most wanted man in the world”, according to the TV meme, is just as wanted in custody as he was when he was at large. The head of the DEA in Chicago has announced he wants El Chapo tried there. There are multiple extradition requests out for El Chapo in the United States. The US was closely involved in his capture and had offered a $5 million dollar reward for information leading to his capture. The Mexican Attorney General recognized the use of U.S. intelligence in the arrest. So far there are no confirmed reports of U.S. agents at the scene.

Meanwhile the Mexicans want to see him tried in that country as a face-saving measure. The concern, of course, is that he will “escape” (an act usually involved collusion by authorities at some level) as he did in 2001.

It will be important for citizens to follow up on the results of the bust and investigate the behind-the-scenes political motivations. These undoubtedly exist, but it will require gathering more evidence and perspectives before speculating.

Laura Carlsen directs the Americas Program for the Center for International Policy in Mexico City at www.cipamericas.org.