[ot-caption title=”Mexican drug lord, El Chapo, being arrested. (via, Alfredo Estrella, Getty Images)”]

Six months ago, Joaquín Guzmán Loera, a notorious Mexican drug lord more commonly known as El Chapo, extraordinarily escaped from the Altiplano maximum-security prison, which marked his second escape from incarceration. El Chapo began growing marijuana and poppies at the age of 15 in order to support his poverty-ridden family. The drug lord has come a long way since his teenage endeavors, as he is now the world’s top supplier in heroin, methamphetamine, and cocaine. Guzmán was in touch with celebrities and producers as part of an effort to create a movie about his life. Drawn by El Chapo’s story, Sean Penn, an Academy Award winning actor, and Kate del Castillo, a Mexican telenovela actress, traveled to Mexico in order to interview Gunzmán, the most wanted man in the world.

The interview took place in October in the remote Mexican jungle. Following this face-to-face encounter, Penn and Guzmán communicated over messaging and video.  According to CNN, the interview in the jungle raises ethical, legal, and moral considerations. “Penn and del Castillo put themselves and others at enormous risk in pursuing this exclusive with one of the most dangerous men on Earth.”  In response to the criticism and controversy regarding his actions, Penn said, “As an American citizen, I’m drawn to explore what may be inconsistent with the portrayals our government and media brand upon their declared enemies.” Furthermore, CNN’s legal analyst Joey Jackson says that “it does not appear Penn and del Castillo broke any laws” and that “he simply had a talk with a fugitive.”

The interview lasted seven hours. The conversation, according to the New York Times, “turned in unexpected directions.” Penn and Guzmán discussed various topics, such as presidential candidate, Donald Trump, El Chapo’s interest in the United States, Guzmán’s childhood, the first time he took drugs, and the fact that he hasn’t taken them for twenty years because he thinks that drugs have detrimental effects.

Mexican authorities were able to recapture Guzmán after six months. Two U.S. law enforcement officials said, “tracking of cell phones and electronic exchanges of people close to the drug kingpin led to his recapture.” The “people close to the drug kingpin” were the ones who contacted filmmakers and actors about creating Guzmán’s biographical movie.

Safety experts are now taking great precaution and have gone to extreme lengths to ensure that Guzmán does not make a third escape from prison. They have installed electric locks and directed surveillance to monitor all movements in and out of his cell.

Sources: CNN, New York Times, Mirror, Rolling Stone, Photo Source: Alfredo Estrella