The world’s biggest drug lord who escaped from a Mexican prison through a mile long tunnel has been caught.
President Pena Neito tweeted the news Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman has been detained after six months on the run.
El Chapo was one of six people arrested after a shootout in which five suspected cartel members were killed, according to Mexican media.
Reports say he was detained while trying to escape through a sewer.
The billionaire head of the powerful Sinaloa Cartel sparked one of the world’s largest ever manhunts following his jail break in July.
His capture came just days after officials said the net was closing in on the 56-year-old fugitive and just two months after he managed to escape following a fierce gun battle with Mexican marines.
Guzman disappeared through a 2ft wide hole in descending some 32 feet down a ladder from the the maximum security Altiplano prison - - 55 miles west of Mexico City.
The tunnel, which took a year to dig, was found equipped with ventilation ducts, running electricity to power strip lighting, stairs and a motorbike on rails.
Investigators believe he was out the tunnel in a matter of minutes after taking the bike back to a newly constructed farmhouse used as a front for the tunneling operation.
The underground shaft had been tailored for Guzman’s 5ft 6ins frame measuring barely an inch more in height and ran for just over a mile.
His jail break has led to outrage in the US with the fear of an escape the main reason why America had pushed the Mexican government to extradite him across the border to face charges where multiple indictments have been filed for his role drug trafficking.
When he was recaptured in 2014 following 13 years on the run, the US Justice Department officials specifically asked about the security of Altiplano prison - 55 miles west of Mexico City - where ruthless Guzman was being held.
They were assured no one had ever escaped despite holding some of the most world's most notorious drug lords.