Watch Video Footage of Joaquín ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán Escaping His Jail Cell

It's the second time the head of the Sinaloa cartel has broken out of prison.

Screen Shot 2015-07-15 at 12crop
Screen Shot 2015-07-15 at 12crop

He paces back and forth nervously in his prison cell, peering behind a partition, inspecting something underneath his bed. Then he returns to the partition, looks down at the floor, bends down, and disappears.

He paces back and forth nervously in his prison cell, peering behind a partition, inspecting something underneath his bed. Then he returns to the partition, looks down at the floor, bends down, and disappears.

The prisoner in question is Joaquín Guzmán, better known as “El Chapo” and the head of the Sinaloa cartel, who escaped a maximum security prison in Mexico on Saturday night. Late Tuesday, Mexican authorities released surveillance video from inside his cell, showing his final moments in the prison before slipping into the tunnel that had been dug underneath his cell.

The footage below, from a press conference briefing conducted Tuesday, includes three separate shots. The first, which begins at the 1:40 mark and was shot by a camera inside his cell, shows a nervous Guzmán in the moment of his escape. The second, starting at 6:57, shows the same time frame but from a different angle, outside his cell. The final shot, which begins at 12:51 is a tour of the incredible tunnel built to ferret Guzmán to freedom. It shows the motorcycle likely used to transport Guzmán, ladders, structural reinforcements, lights, and tools.

Photo credit: YouTube/Gobierno de la República

Twitter: @EliasGroll

More from Foreign Policy

Newspapers in Tehran feature on their front page news about the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, signed in Beijing the previous day, on March, 11 2023.
Newspapers in Tehran feature on their front page news about the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, signed in Beijing the previous day, on March, 11 2023.

Saudi-Iranian Détente Is a Wake-Up Call for America

The peace plan is a big deal—and it’s no accident that China brokered it.

Austin and Gallant stand at podiums side by side next to each others' national flags.
Austin and Gallant stand at podiums side by side next to each others' national flags.

The U.S.-Israel Relationship No Longer Makes Sense

If Israel and its supporters want the country to continue receiving U.S. largesse, they will need to come up with a new narrative.

Russian President Vladimir Putin lays flowers at the Moscow Kremlin Wall in the Alexander Garden during an event marking Defender of the Fatherland Day in Moscow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin lays flowers at the Moscow Kremlin Wall in the Alexander Garden during an event marking Defender of the Fatherland Day in Moscow.

Putin Is Trapped in the Sunk-Cost Fallacy of War

Moscow is grasping for meaning in a meaningless invasion.

An Iranian man holds a newspaper reporting the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, in Tehran on March 11.
An Iranian man holds a newspaper reporting the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, in Tehran on March 11.

How China’s Saudi-Iran Deal Can Serve U.S. Interests

And why there’s less to Beijing’s diplomatic breakthrough than meets the eye.