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Crime

Move Over Al Capone, There’s a New Kingpin in Town: Meet Chicago’s New Public Enemy No. 1

Feb. 14, 2013 5:33pm
Chicago Names Sinaloa Cartel Boss El Chapo Guzman Public Enemy No. 1

FILE – In this June 10, 1993 file photo, Joaquin Guzman Loera, alias “El Chapo” Guzman, is shown to the media after his arrest at the high security prison of Almoloya de Juarez. (AP)

CHICAGO (TheBlaze/AP) — A drug kingpin in Mexico who has never set foot in Chicago has been named the city’s new Public Enemy No. 1 – the same notorious label assigned to Al Capone at the height of the Prohibition-era gang wars.

The Chicago Crime Commission considers Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman even more menacing than Capone because he’s the leader of the Sinaloa cartel, which supplies most of the narcotics sold in the city.

“What Al Capone was to beer and whiskey during Prohibition, Guzman is to narcotics,” said Art Bilek, the commission’s executive vice president. “Of the two, Guzman is by far the greater threat. … And he has more power and financial capability than Capone ever dreamed of.”

In an exclusive interview with TheBlaze back in September, Jack Riley, special agent in charge for the Chicago Field Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), said Guzman is even more dangerous than Capone and the Italian mobs of the past. In fact, he argued that Mexican drug cartels are so embedded in Chicago, that law enforcement has to operate as if they are on the Mexican border.

“If I pitted the Italian organized crime groups against for instance, ‘Chapo’ Guzman and the Sinaloa Cartel, it wouldn’t be a fight,” he said. “His ability to corrupt, his ability to enforce his sanctions and to really do with an endless supply of revenue is in my opinion far greater than older Italian organized crime.”

Riley and Guzman are well acquainted too. The DEA head posed such a threat to the Mexican drug cartels when he ran a DEA operation on the border in El Paso, Guzman reportedly put a bounty on his head.

The commission – a non-government body that tracks city crime trends – designated Capone Public Enemy No. 1 in 1930. It has declared other outlaws public enemies, but Capone was the only one deemed No. 1.

Until now.

Guzman is thought to be holed up in a mountain hideaway in western Mexico, but he ought to be treated as a local Chicago crime boss for the havoc his cartel creates in the nation’s third-largest city, said Jack Riley, of the Drug Enforcement Administration, which joined the commission in affixing the title to Guzman.

The point of singling out Guzman was to inspire more public support for going after him, Bilek said.

“Ninety-nine percent of the people in the United States have never heard of this man,” he said. “Concerted action … must be taken now against Guzman before he establishes a bigger network and a bigger empire in the United States.”

Chicago Names Sinaloa Cartel Boss El Chapo Guzman Public Enemy No. 1

FILE – In this Jan. 19, 1931 file photo, Chicago mobster Al Capone attends a football game in Chicago. Credit: AP

Capone based his bootlegging and other criminal enterprises in Chicago during Prohibition, when it was illegal to make or sell alcohol in the U.S. He eventually went to prison for income tax evasion, but he gained the greatest notoriety for the 1929 St. Valentine’s Day Massacre that left seven rivals dead.

Yet Riley says Guzman – whose nickname means “shorty” in Spanish – is more ruthless than Capone, whose nickname was “Scarface.”

“If I was to put those two guys in a ring, El Chapo would eat that guy (Capone) alive,” Riley told The Associated Press in a recent interview at his office, pointing at pictures of the men.

Riley described Chicago as one of Sinaloa’s most important cities, not only as a final destination for drugs but as a hub to distribute them across the U.S.

“This is where Guzman turns his drugs into money,” he said.

The Department of Justice’s National Drug Intelligence Center estimates that in “2009 and 2010, cartels operated in 1,286 U.S. cities. The center named only 50 cities in 2006,” according to a CNN report. Here’s a graphic to put it into context:

Chicago Names Sinaloa Cartel Boss El Chapo Guzman Public Enemy No. 1

(National Post)

Mexican cartels that ship drugs to Chicago are rarely directly linked to slayings. But Bilek said Thursday that cartel-led trafficking is an underlying cause of territorial battles between street gangs that are blamed for rising homicide rates.

“He virtually has his fingerprints on the guns that are killing the children of this city,” Bilek told a news conference.

Guzman, who has been on the run since escaping from a Mexican prison in a laundry cart in 2001, is one of the world’s most dangerous and most wanted fugitives. He’s also one of the richest: Forbes magazine has estimated his fortune at $1 billion.

Now in his mid-50s, Guzman has been indicted on federal trafficking charges in Chicago and, if he is ever captured alive, U.S. officials want him extradited here to face trial. The U.S. government has offered a $5 million reward for his capture.

“His time is coming,” Riley said. “I can’t wait for that day.”

It was only a coincidence, Bilek said Thursday, that the announcement naming Guzman Public Enemy No. 1 came on the anniversary of the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, which raised public pressure to capture Capone.

Within two years of being designated Public Enemy No. 1 in 1930, Capone had been captured, convicted and imprisoned.

With the same label now attached to Guzman, Bilek said, “we hope the same thing will happen to him.”

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Comments (77)

1 2 3
  • Grand design
    Posted on February 14, 2013 at 7:15pm

    Chicago Democrat Politicians probably don’t like the competition!

    Report this comment

    Grand design  
    • TomFXSTC
      Posted on February 14, 2013 at 8:13pm

      There not in competition there partners.
      I’m sure there getting kickbacks.
      It’s the Chicago Way

      Report this comment

      TomFXSTC  
    • Cemoto78
      Posted on February 14, 2013 at 8:29pm

      Tell us again how securing the border is being done and amnesty should be given to all those hard working illegal immigrants.

      Report this comment

      Cemoto78  
    • carhouse
      Posted on February 15, 2013 at 8:52am

      #1 public enemy in Chicoland is eric holdert and his boos husain

      Report this comment

      carhouse  
    • zorro
      Posted on February 15, 2013 at 9:46am

      LOL….”escaped”. Yeah right. At an estimated 1B worth, we know exactly what happened. Like my grandfather used to say, “Con dinero baila el chango.”

      Report this comment

      zorro  
  • Saff SGT
    Posted on February 14, 2013 at 7:12pm

    This is where you use a Drone not in America

    Report this comment

    Saff SGT  
  • christhefanatic
    Posted on February 14, 2013 at 6:50pm

    What is worse….a drug kingpin…or a wannabe-king pin-head?

    Report this comment

    christhefanatic  
  • dave88
    Posted on February 14, 2013 at 6:46pm

    Are they kidding, this guy is not as dangerous to Chicago as Rahm Emmanuel.

    Report this comment

    dave88  
  • JacquesChirac
    Posted on February 14, 2013 at 6:35pm

    D*mn! I was hoping to see the emperor’s face on the picture of this story…

    What was it they used to say on Wayne’s World? Oh yeah: “Schya! And monkeys will fly out my ****!”

    Report this comment

    JacquesChirac  
  • doubletap
    Posted on February 14, 2013 at 6:35pm

    The DEA a threat to the drug cartels, now that’s funny. The DEA and other drug interdiction groups do not want to stop the drug trade. They want and NEED the status quo to remain as is. They get massive amounts of revenue from seized property and cash. This is another reason the border will never be closed to illegals, it would reduce the drug trade to much. This is not my theory, it was told to me by a Deputy Sheriff that did drug interdiction for years.

    Report this comment

    doubletap  
    • Frederick_Douglass_Republican
      Posted on February 14, 2013 at 7:13pm

      Exactly.

      Report this comment

      Frederick_Douglass_Republican  
    • SREGN
      Posted on February 15, 2013 at 8:21am

      This guy would be a broke Nobody if they legalized growing your own pot and legalized heroin and cocaine by perscription.

      Report this comment

      SREGN  
    • Wolf
      Posted on February 15, 2013 at 9:29am

      “…Within two years of being designated Public Enemy No. 1 in 1930, Capone had been captured, convicted and imprisoned.
      With the same label now attached to Guzman, Bilek said, “we hope the same thing will happen to him.”…”

      Right you are, DoubleTap- this ‘drug war’ has been going on since the 60′s and still hasn’t been controlled in the least. The fed needs this war to maintain ‘legitimate’ escalation of population control.

      Report this comment

      Wolf  
  • Zipit
    Posted on February 14, 2013 at 6:23pm

    I say! Why not grant him AMNESTY! Spend our tax money to bring him and all of his friends, and family here, educate them, feed them, give them free health care, and then allow them to vote! IT IS THE OBAMA WAY!

    Report this comment

    Zipit  
    • RIDEMODELS
      Posted on February 14, 2013 at 6:47pm

      You got that right…….Give him and his whole family amnesty……and then when another little girl is killed in Chicago because of gang violence, then the family can thank Obama…

      This type of crap may very well happen in states like Florida but I can tell you there are eyes in the sky every day, watching these gang punks……they will all be caught and brought down and I bet the Federal Government like Obama knows about them and what they are doing, he just does not want to be the bad guy here……This crap has got to stop if Obama wants Utopia….and its all about laundering money through big banks…..HSBC etc.

      Report this comment

      RIDEMODELS  
  • barber2
    Posted on February 14, 2013 at 6:08pm

    Yes. Chicago does seem to attract criminals , thugs, and some dangerous anti-American, political radicals.

    Report this comment

    barber2  
    • neidermeyer
      Posted on February 14, 2013 at 6:17pm

      I stand behind Mr. Guzman , without our imperial federal governments 40 year war he would be a nobody. It is obviously our governments desire to have created a Mr. Guzman and I for one stand with my government.

      Report this comment

      neidermeyer  
  • Gonzo
    Posted on February 14, 2013 at 6:07pm

    This guy has a bright future. Chicago’s last Public Enemy No. 1 ended up as leader of the free world.

    Report this comment

    Gonzo  
    • momrules
      Posted on February 14, 2013 at 6:29pm

      Ah Gonzo……..At first I laughed at your comment but then after I thought about what you said I felt like crying.

      Report this comment

      momrules  
  • spirited
    Posted on February 14, 2013 at 6:05pm

    If they’d get a lot of the little guys (and gals) who move the drugs, guns and money
    Mr. # 1 would be less significant.

    They need to stop trying to get the top dog –while letting him do his dirty business.

    >So, what about Fast and Furious???

    Report this comment

    spirited  
  • cassandra
    Posted on February 14, 2013 at 6:00pm

    if we would do something about our borders and illegals we would cut down on our drug and violence problems but that makes too much common sense to this administration or any progresive politician

    Report this comment

    cassandra  
    • IWISHIWASINTEXAS
      Posted on February 14, 2013 at 6:31pm

      Exactly. Reduce the cartel’s drug trafficking by enforcing our borders and locking them down so it’s next to impossible to cross illegally. Force incoming immigrants through the ports of entry where they can be searched and illegal substances can be found. When they no longer can get their product into the US, they will lose their power and influence. Simple.

      Report this comment

      IWISHIWASINTEXAS  
  • chips1
    Posted on February 14, 2013 at 5:58pm

    Finally!!! Obama has been bumped to #2. (of course he has always been referred to as #2).

    Report this comment

    chips1  
  • SpankDaMonkey
    Posted on February 14, 2013 at 5:56pm

    .
    FYI Chicago this guy just might put a price on your head….

    Report this comment

    SpankDaMonkey  
  • RJJinGadsden
    Posted on February 14, 2013 at 5:56pm

    I’m impressed. I would have expected Chicago to name surrounding states that still believe in the 2nd Amendment to be their number one enemy.

    Report this comment

    RJJinGadsden  
  • Berfie
    Posted on February 14, 2013 at 5:56pm

    Will someone close that dam borders!!!

    Report this comment

    Berfie  
    • texashuntre
      Posted on February 14, 2013 at 6:07pm

      No Dems need them to keep the states blue and cheat their sorry arses through life. Ice cant even deport anymore!! Thanks Owebama

      Report this comment

      texashuntre  
  • vic138
    Posted on February 14, 2013 at 5:53pm

    I thought the killings in Chicago were because of guns? Now its drugs? Wonder how many of those weapons sold by Obama and Holder never went to mexico, but went to Chicago instead? Remember that drug guy on trial in Chicago said that the guns sold in f&f were actually a payment for getting the rights to sell drugs in Chicago (plus a cut, of course).

    Report this comment

    vic138  
  • The Big Mick
    Posted on February 14, 2013 at 5:51pm

    Anybody notice the High Concentration in North Carolina?
    LARGE La Raza Population.
    Started with cheap Agricultural Labor.
    Now it is costing isn’t it?
    La Raza Reconquistas, Gangs, Drugs, Violence. El Mehheeko Del Norte. THAT’s the Cost of your Chicken McNuggets, folks.
    BUILD a WALL, DEPORT ALL ILLEGALS, SHOOT ALL INVADERS!
    ne habla eenglaz?—BOOM!
    Death to the Brown Dwarf Orcs and the Aztec Anschluss!

    Report this comment

    The Big Mick  
    • MetalPatriot
      Posted on February 14, 2013 at 6:05pm

      Kill him. Start at the top & work down. These type of people don’t recognize laws and neither should they benefit from a legal system. Kind of hard to do when people are running our country like a cartel of sorts.

      Report this comment

      MetalPatriot  
    • GoodStuff
      Posted on February 14, 2013 at 6:08pm

      If that map doesn’t make the case for a border fence…nothing will. Build the damn fence!

      Report this comment

      GoodStuff  
    • civilwarcometh
      Posted on February 14, 2013 at 6:31pm

      Close 90% of our military bases around the world put those guys/girls on the borders. That is what they are for in the first place. National Defense…

      Report this comment

      civilwarcometh  
  • P4cooler
    Posted on February 14, 2013 at 5:48pm

    I wouldn’t chase the five million reward. It wouldn’t help me very much when I’m dead. This businessman probably doesn’t got to the Better Business Bureau when he has a problem.

    Report this comment

    P4cooler  
  • Outfitr
    Posted on February 14, 2013 at 5:43pm

    “Mexican” drug cartel?? I’m shocked and offended. It should be Hispanic drug cartel.

    Report this comment

    Outfitr  
  • sparky239
    Posted on February 14, 2013 at 5:43pm

    Let him pedal his dope and hopefully the poison will kill off the idiots

    Report this comment

    sparky239  
  • Magyar
    Posted on February 14, 2013 at 5:42pm

    You have to know that Rahm and his thugs in the state senate and elsewhere are complicit, right?

    Report this comment

    Magyar  
  • lel2007
    Posted on February 14, 2013 at 5:42pm

    Maybe the cities’ appitite for drugs is killing the cities.

    Report this comment

    lel2007  
  • DZ-015
    Posted on February 14, 2013 at 5:41pm

    I bet there are Chicago locals who could hold the title.

    Report this comment

    DZ-015  
  • biohazard23
    Posted on February 14, 2013 at 5:38pm

    And here we thought it was going to be someone with the last name of Jackson or Emanuel. I was gonna say dear leader, but he’s a threat to everybody way beyond Chicago’s borders. Hey, kinda like Guzman!

    Report this comment

     
  • RabbiDRJerkins
    Posted on February 14, 2013 at 5:37pm

    Public Enemy Number 1 to Washington D.C. several years ago.
    Status: still at large.

    Report this comment

    RabbiDRJerkins  
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