Pictured: Inside the squalid tunnel El Chapo spent hours in
Pictured: Inside the squalid tunnel El Chapo spent hours holed up in before he was forced to emerge when it began to flood
- Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman gave security forces the slip after opening a secret doorway hidden behind a mirror
- He descended into the sophisticated tunnel leading to the drains in Los Mochis in his native Sinaloa state
- The six-foot tall tunnel is complete with lighting, wood-paneled walls and a concrete floor that leads to storm sewer
- Guzman spent hours below ground as his henchmen sought to lure pursuing Marines toward the roof of the house
- But the drug lord then emerged out of a manhole a mile across town and federal police found him on a highway
By
KHALEDA RAHMAN and
GERARD COUZENS FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 20:59 EST, 11 January 2016 | UPDATED: 04:29 EST, 12 January 2016
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These pictures show the inside of the squalid tunnel the world's most wanted drug lord spent hours holed up inside as he mounted his futile escape plan.
Images of bullet-riddled walls, blood-splattered floors and a completely ransacked house paint a picture of the bloody battle which led to the capture of Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman following an early morning raid on Friday.
On Monday, the interior of the house looked much the same with bullet holes pocking the white concrete walls. Clothing and food, including a wheel of cheese, were scattered throughout. Beds were tossed and blood was smeared on the walls.
Five of the notorious Sinaloa cartel were slain by marines and six were arrested following a gun battle at 4am, but El Chapo made another of his infamous escapes, slipping out through a sewer system with his right-hand man El Cholo Ivan.
Guzman gave Mexican security forces the slip after opening a secret doorway hidden behind a mirror before descending into the sophisticated tunnel leading to the drains in Los Mochis.
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Squalid: Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman initially gave security forces the slip by opening a secret doorway hidden behind a mirror before descending into the sophisticated tunnel (pictured) leading to the drains in Los Mochis
Futile escape plan: Guzman and his security chief traveled several blocks through the meter-tall storm sewer before emerging when rainwater started to fill the drains. Pictured, a journalist films inside the tunnel on Monday
Hidden: As his henchmen distracted Marines, El Chapo made another of his infamous escapes, slipping down these stairs and out through a sewer system with his right-hand man El Cholo Ivan
The six-foot tall tunnel complete with lighting, wood-paneled walls and a concrete floor leads to more stairs and then a metal hatch that opens into the city's storm sewer.
Below, there were submarine-like reinforced metal doors to prevent the tunnel from flooding when water levels in the drains rose. Marines found another hole beneath a refrigerator which proved to be a red herring, the apparent beginnings of a project to build another escape route.
They also found two women cowering in one of the home's five bathrooms.
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Before his capture, Guzman had spent hours below ground as his henchmen sought to lure pursuing Marines toward the roof of the house - but was forced to emerge when rainwater started to fill the drains.
Guzman and his security chief traveled several blocks through the meter-tall storm sewer before popping out from a manhole in the middle of an intersection a mile across town.
He and Ivan stole a car at gunpoint, drove a bit, then stole another.
Red herring: Marines found another hole beneath a refrigerator, the apparent beginnings of a project to build another escape route
Plan: The six-foot tall tunnel complete with lighting, wood-paneled walls and a concrete floor led to more stairs and then a metal hatch opened into the city's storm sewer
Stained: Blood in a room inside the house where five alleged gang members were killed in the military operation which resulted in the recapture of Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman, in Los Mochis
Mess: DVDs, a water bottle, cosmetics and other objects are seen on bed sheets inside a safe house, where five people were shot dead
Destroyed: On Monday, bullet holes were seen pocking the white concrete walls of the house after the bloody gun battle on Friday
Federal police eventually found them on a highway outside of town and Guzman's flight ended six months after his stunning escape from the same maximum security prison where he now sits.
It took the Marines 90 minutes to find the tunnel entrance, giving Guzman a crucial headstart. The lever to open the reinforced door behind the mirror was concealed in the light of the dressing room.
Beside a ground floor bedroom littered with clothing, they entered a walk-in closet and found the unusual panel behind a mirror.
'My holidays are over,' Guzman said when he was finally caught, Televisa reported.
Video footage broadcast by the Mexican TV channel on Monday showed Marines firing shots inside the house during the dawn raid and images of the ground-floor dressing room where the tunnel entrance was hidden.
A marine involved in the assault who gave a tour of the house to a reporter from Televisa said there were more people inside than expected and they were more heavily armed, including with rocket-propelled grenades and .50 caliber sniper rifles.
Tunnel vision: Beside a bedroom littered with clothing, marines entered a walk-in closet and found the unusual panel behind a mirror
Secret: Guzman gave Mexican security forces the slip after opening a hidden doorway behind a mirror before descending into the sophisticated tunnel. Pictured, a journalist walks along the tunnel on Monday