In the El Chapo Speaks article, Guzman boasted about his drug business – saying he “supplies more heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine and marijuana than anybody else in the world”.
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Another leg of the day-long trip through central Mexico to meet Guzman was on a light aircraft allegedly fitted with equipment to evade radar detection, Penn said in a story published in Rolling Stone magazine on Saturday.
“Unlike many of his counterparts who engage in gratuitous kidnapping and murder, El Chapo is a businessman first, and only resorts to violence when he deems it advantageous to himself or his business interests”, Penn wrote.
The talk was brokered by Mexican actress Kate Del Castillo, who played a drug queen in a popular local TV soap opera.
One Mexican government source said that the authorities knew the interview was due to take place, which made tracking the fugitive far easier. He discusses topics ranging from drug trafficking to Middle East politics with Guzman.
Madonna said in her speech at the benefit that Penn is “a bad-ass”, but told him from the stage, “I wanna say, Sean, that I love you from the moment that I laid eyes on you”.
The interview added another twist to the surreal life of the two-time prison escapee.
NBC News was unable to independently verify the contents of the article, or Guzman’s reported comments.
Penn wrote that he was not involved in any film project, but wanted to interview Guzman for the magazine.
Guzman, who was recaptured Friday, bragged about his exploits in the interview with Sean Penn in October while on the run.
Del Castillo, who had sparked up an unlikely friendship with the kingpin, became the go-between and helped to set up the meeting with Penn.
In a two-minute video clip posted online by Rolling Stone, a clean-shaven Guzman dressed in a blue collared shirt is shown in what appears to be a yard, as a rooster crows in the background.
That night, after a few hours of talking, Guzman and his protectors strapped on body armor and brought out the weapons.
Photos have emerged of the hideout used by the world’s infamous drug lord after he escaped a maximum security jail.
Actress Kate del Castillo attends the Centerpiece Gala Premiere of Alcon Entertainment’s “The 33” during AFI FEST 2015 presented by Audi at TCL Chinese Theater, Nov. 9, 2015 in Hollywood, Calif.
“Never”, El Chapo told Penn.
USA officials have tried for years to extradite the kingpin to face a range of charges.
Some reports claim that it was Penn’s interview that helped authorities track the criminal.
After six months on the run, Guzman is now back in the same maximum security prison from which he escaped, a Mexican law enforcement official said.
Guzman’s operation is also blamed for significant contributions to the United States’ illegal drug trade.
“With Guzman Loera’s recapture, the respective extradition proceedings will have to start”, the office said in a statement.
“I think there is going to be a lot of pressure in Mexico to extradite him to the United States, to make sure he can’t escape again”.
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He is charged with smuggling vast amounts of drugs into the US.
