U.S. releases man who helped 'Chapo' Guzman escape from prison

The United States released Jose Sanchez Villalobos, who helped Sinaloa Cartel founder Joaquin 'Chapo' Guzman escape from a maximum-security Mexican prison in July 2015.

The criminal, known as “The Lord of the Tunnels,” no longer appears in the U.S. Federal Bureau of Prisons' inmate search engine. Indeed, Sánchez Villalobos is no longer in prison after completing his 10-year sentence in March, Milenio reported. 

In December 2020, “The Lord of the Tunnels” signed a plea agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice, sentencing him for only four of the 13 charges against him related to drug trafficking offenses. In addition, at the request of prosecutors, the time he spent in prison in Mexico was taken into account.

Sanchez Villalobos was captured in 2012 due to his involvement in the construction of several clandestine tunnels along the U.S.-Mexico border to facilitate drug trafficking for the Sinaloa Cartel. The U.S. considered him to be a high-ranking member of the criminal organization, according to Infobae.

He was also an engineer and private architect for 'Chapo' Guzmán, for whom he built several tunnels.

In July 2015, El Chapo escaped through a tunnel that connected his cell in the Altiplano maximum-security prison to a nearby vacant lot. Among other things, it had ventilation, electricity, and wooden support beams.

Mexican authorities suspect that Joaquín Guzmán rode through the tunnel on a motorcycle driven by a hitman. When he exited, another man was already waiting for him on an ATV, who took him to a warehouse. The construction of the tunnel was allegedly supervised by Sánchez Villalobos, according to La Opinión.

In January 2016, El Chapo was recaptured and subsequently extradited to the United States, where he is currently serving a life sentence at the maximum-security prison ADX Florence in Colorado.