This one photo shows how much of an engineering feat 'El Chapo' Guzmán’s escape from jail was
Mob Museum, National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement
When Sinaloa cartel boss Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán escaped from prison in central Mexico in July 11, 2015, it was quickly regarded as a stunning criminal feat.
It was soon discovered — as shown by the display above, from a new exhibit at the Mob Museum in Las Vegas — that the escape was also a marvel of clandestine engineering, featuring an elaborate tunnel passage designed by engineers trained in Germany specifically to build the tunnel.
Guzmán entered the mile-long tunnel through a 1.5-foot by 1.5-foot hole in the floor of cell shower. He then descended a 32-foot ladder into the tunnel, which was 5.5 feet high and 2-feet-7-inches wide.
He traveled through the tunnel — equipped with a motorcycle on a track and an air-ventilation system — to a partially constructed house adjacent to the prison. From there, he traveled back to northwest Mexico, to an area known as the Golden Triangle for its drug production and where he was safely ensconced in Sinaloa cartel territory.
Despite some close calls, he remained on the run until January 8, when Mexican military and police forces caught up with him in a city not far from where he was born in Sinaloa state.
He has since been locked up in the same prison he broke out of, as he awaits possible extradition to the US.
He is, however, under much more intense security.
NOW WATCH: Watch newly released video of 'El Chapo' being booked by Mexican authorities