Drug lord’s hometown mourns his downfall

Badiraguato, January 11

As Mexico and the United States celebrate the capture of Joaquin "Chapo" Guzman, the world's most wanted drug lord, a mix of fear and mourning grips the towns and ranches in the remote mountains where he was born.

Guzman, whose nickname means "Shorty", built the most powerful drug cartel in the world and escaped from prison twice in the last 15 years, inspiring the next generation of smugglers and gunslingers.

"He's like a legend. The people wept because this is his land and because they caught him," said Jesus Ramos, a 19-year old bricklayer as he sat in the town square of Guzman's native Badiraguato, passing the time.

Besides employing farmers to grow drugs in the valleys around here, Guzman is also credited with paying for public works and giving away toys to children. "He helps more than the government. Well, he helped. He has been taken down now," Ramos said.

Locals are given seeds and radios by Guzman's armed henchman, who patrol the surrounding valleys on quad bikes.

The town's mayor has estimated that about half of the population of Badiraguato make their living from the drug trade. — Reuters