Jamal AndressThe capture of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman is a really big deal.
"His drug empire stretching through North America all the way to Europe and even Australia." (Via Fox News)
"More than 130 guns, 19 armored cars and two grenade launchers were found." (Via CNN)
"Mexico's largest cartel, the biggest supplier of drugs to the United States" (Via MSNBC)
To help explain the legacy of one of Mexico's most powerful bad guys we go by the numbers — the first number being 16,000. An estimated 16,000 pounds or 8 tons of cocaine the Sinaloa drug cartel he allegedly headed is smuggled into the United States annually. (Via ABC)
But El Chapo's work didn't stop with cocaine. His Sinaloa cartel smuggled everything from marijuana to meth across the United States border. Which brings us to the next number, 25. (Via Wikimedia Commons / El Chino Antrax)
Twenty-five percent of all the illegal drugs in the United States from Mexico come from El Chapo's cartel according to Forbes. In 2011, the Los Angeles Times called El Chapo's Sinaloa cartel, "Mexico's most powerful organized crime group."
All that product makes you wonder just how much money El Chapo and his business might have been bringing in?
The next number is three — $3 billion in annual revenue. El Chapo was listed by Forbes as the "world's most powerful drug trafficker" and his drug cartel's annual revenue may exceed $3 billion, which is more than the National Hockey League made last year.
That would apparently make him Mexico's 10th richest man.
The last number is one. Chicago declared El Chapo "Public Enemy No. 1." The last person to carry that title was Al Capone.
Guzman will reportedly be tried for his numerous crimes in a New York City courtroom.
