Mexico has not been notified by Argentinian authorities on whether a manhunt has begun in the South American country for drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, according to officials. Another suspect accused of helping Guzman escape has also been arraigned in a federal court. Photo courtesy of Mexico's Attorney General
BUENOS AIRES, Nov. 9 (UPI) -- Mexico has not been notified by Argentinian authorities on whether a manhunt has begun in the South American country for drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, Mexican officials said.
Argentinian security agencies were recently alerted about the possibility of Guzman entering the country sometime after his escape from a maximum-security Mexican prison in July. Argentina's Federal Intelligence Agency was analyzing information indicating Guzman was on the border between Argentina and Chile, Security Secretary Sergio Berni said during a television interview.
"We cannot talk about an entry when normally such information is untrue, but in the meantime it is our duty to alert our federal forces," Berni said on Friday.
In response, Mexican officials told BBC Mundo they have not been notified by Argentinian authorities about a possible manhunt for Guzman taking place within Argentina's borders. Mexican officials also said they have no intelligence indicating a manhunt is occurring in Argentina.
Meanwhile, in Mexico, a suspect accused of helping Guzman escape has been arraigned in a federal court.
Lázaro de Jesús Araujo Juárez is accused of failing to notify authorities about the construction of the tunnel used to help Guzman escape. Although he was granted bail on that charge, Araujo Juárez was also charged with crimes against the public health and will have to face the proceedings for that crime within a federal prison.
Araujo Juárez is accused of knowing about the tunnel because one of his relatives is suspected of being in charge of supervising the tunnel's construction.
On July 11, Guzman escaped from a Mexican maximum security prison for the second time using a mile-long tunnel, which could have taken a year to build.
"El Chapo" -- meaning "The Short One" or "shorty" -- so dubbed because of his 5-foot-6-inch frame, was captured in Guatemala in 1993 and then extradited to Mexico to face murder and drug trafficking charges. He escaped from prison in 2001 by hiding in a laundry cart after bribing prison guards, and was re-captured in February 2014.
