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CHICAGO (AP) — Reactions in the United States to the escape from Mexican prison of a reputed drug lord are ranging from disbelief to outrage, with some observers saying it dramatically illustrates the need for captured cartel kingpins to be promptly extradited to the U.S.
A former administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration says he's dismayed by Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman's weekend escape — apparently through a mile-long tunnel — from a prison, 55 miles west of Mexico City.
Peter Bensinger says "It is a shock that the most dangerous cartel leader in the world has escaped," adding that "He ought to have been housed in an American prison."
Washington's official response is diplomatic. In a stamen today, Attorney General Loretta Lynch says the U.S. shares "Mexico's concern regarding the escape" and stands by to help in the manhunt.
The Chicago Crime Commission, an influential crime-fighting group in Illinois, says the prison break means Guzman will regain his title as Public Enemy No. 1 in Chicago, where his Sinaloa cartel has long dominated the cocaine and heroin trade.
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