Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, the world's most wanted drug lord, narrowly escaped authorities after they tracked him down to Northwest Mexico but suffered injuries to his face and leg as he fled, Mexican officials revealed Friday.
Guzman, the head of the Sinaloa drug cartel, has been on the run ever since his escape from Mexican maximum-security prison Altoplano in July, reported The International Business Times. His escape was a great source of shame for Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto and authorities who swore he would die in his cell.
The Mexican government said in a statement that it's been collaborating with international agencies to capture Guzman and has recently focused its search on the northwest of Mexico, close to Guzman's native turf of Sinaloa state.
"As a result of these actions, and to avoid his capture, in recent days, the fugitive engaged in a hasty retreat, which, according to the information received, caused him injuries to one leg and the face," the government statement said. according to Reuters.
"It's important to clarify that these injuries were not a product of a direct clash," the statement added without giving further information, according to The Times of India.
This recent development comes after the acting head of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration said in August that the U.S. government believed Guzman was still in Mexico.
