Mexican drug lord met with actor Sean Penn before arrest

By: 9 years ago

FILE - In this Oct. 8, 2015 file photo, Sean Penn speaks during a forum with young entrepreneurs during the IMF and World Bank annual meeting in Lima, Peru. Late Saturday, Jan. 9, 2016, Rolling Stone magazine published an interview that Guzman apparently gave to Penn in his hideout in Mexico months before his recapture. In the article and interview, Penn describes the complicated measures he took to meet the legendary drug lord. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd, File)

In this Oct. 8, 2015 file photo, Sean Penn speaks during a forum with young entrepreneurs during the IMF and World Bank annual meeting in Lima, Peru. On Saturday, Jan. 9, 2016, Rolling Stone magazine published an interview that Guzman apparently gave to Penn in his hideout in Mexico months before his recapture. In the article and interview, Penn describes the complicated measures he took to meet the legendary drug lord. AP

NEW YORK, United States — US actor Sean Penn secretly interviewed Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman before the Mexican drug kingpin’s recapture for an article that appeared Saturday in Rolling Stone magazine.

The story, available online, was published just one day after the world’s most wanted drug lord was arrested following a deadly military raid in Los Mochis, a coastal city in his native northwestern state of Sinaloa.

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Penn said he traveled to the Mexican jungle in October to conduct the “seven-hour sit-down” with the capo, whom he followed up with in subsequent phone and video interviews.

A federal official who spoke on condition of anonymity told AFP Saturday that the meeting helped lead to Guzman’s recapture.

Mexican authorities have announced that they will begin the process of extraditing Guzman to the United States, with his lawyer vowing a tough legal battle.