Sean Penn Secretly Interviewed Drug Lord El Chapo — Here's What You Need To Know
On Saturday night, Rolling Stone released an exclusive interview, written and conducted by Sean Penn, with the notorious and previously-escaped drug lord El Chapo — who had been rearrested just a day before. Since it's release, the interview has caused waves across the Internet. Here's what's going on.
Sean Penn Secretly Traveled To Mexico To Interview El Chapo
Of his travels, he wrote:
There is no question in my mind but that the DEA and the Mexican government are tracking our movements. From the moment Kate had gone out on a limb with her tweet of January 2012 through the beginning of our encrypted negotiations to meet El Chapo, I had been bewildered by his willingness to risk our visit. If Kate was being surveilled, so must those named on any shared flight manifest. I see no spying eyes, but I assume they are there.
Penn recorded part of the interview on video, which you can watch below.
The Interview Came Just A Day After El Chapo's Rearrest
Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto has written in his Twitter account that fugitive drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman has been recaptured seven months after he escaped from a maximum security prison.
[CBS News]
The AP Reports That Penn's Interview Helped Authorities Locate The Kingpin
A Mexican federal law enforcement official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not permitted to comment on the issue, told the Associated Press it was the Penn interview that led authorities to Guzman in a rural part of Durango state in October.
Another Source Identified A Tip From El Chapo's Neighbor As The Crucial Intel They Needed For His Capture
The tip that led to Guzman's capture by the Mexican military Friday came from a neighbor reporting suspicious activity at the house where the fugitive drug lord was hiding, a former senior U.S. drug official said Sunday. Although questions have been raised about whether electronic contacts between Guzman and actors Sean Penn and Kate del Castillo could have led police to his hide-out, it was that simple tip-off that led to Friday's arrest, according to Mike Vigil, a high-level [DEA official.]
[LA Times]
The Story Has Been Heavily Criticized By Journalists For Breaching Ethical Standards
Brian Stelter raises the two most obvious concerns:
Penn traveled to Mexico to interview the notorious drug lord with an understanding: El Chapo would get to read and approve Penn's story ahead of time. The resulting story includes a disclosure about the exceedingly unusual arrangement…With a story as shocking and groundbreaking as Penn's — simply titled "El Chapo Speaks" — the questions don't stop there. Did Penn have any legal or ethical obligation to inform Mexican or American authorities about his time with the fugitive he calls "the world's most wanted drug lord?"
