Drug Lord El Chapo Guzman’s Birthplace Targeted by Federal Forces

Mexican federal forces searching for drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" ("Shorty") Guzman have blocked the entrances and exits from the La Tuna village in Mexico’s Sinaloa state, local media report.

MEXICO CITY (Sputnik) – La Tuna is the birthplace of Guzman, who is the chief of the Sinaloa drug cartel, named after the Mexican state. Guzman’s mother, as well as his several other relatives, still live in the village.

Marines have been reportedly deployed at a local ranch owned by Aureliano Guzman, who is El Chapo’s brother.

El Chapo Guzman escaped from the Altiplano maximum security prison in Mexico on July 11, using an underground tunnel. Guzman was jailed at the facility in February 2014.

El Chapo’s most recent escape is not his first one. In 2001, he escaped from a maximum security prison in Mexico’s Jalisco state, using a laundry cart.

Guzman’s Sinaloa drug cartel smuggles cocaine from Colombia through Mexico to the United States. The cartel is also involved in the production and distribution of Mexican marijuana, heroin and other drugs in North America and Europe.