A an article saying that Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman escaped from prison is from a “satire” news website.
The article was published on Huzlers.com, which publishes fake news.
“Mexican drug lord Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ (Shorty) Guzman has just escaped from the ‘Islas Marias Federal Prison’, which is located in the island Maria Madre in Mexico. The Islas Marias Federal Prison has a history of multiple escapes and escape attempts with 76 escapes in the last 25 years,” the article reads.
It had more than 85,000 Facebook shares and “likes” on Monday.
However, Huzlers has a disclaimer on each page, saying it’s satire.
“Huzlers.com is a combination of real shocking news and satire news to keep its visitors in a state of disbelief,” the disclaimer reads.
But the website mostly publishes fake articles, including one saying that Super Bowl 48 was rigged and that UFC star Anderson Silva faked breaking his leg in half to throw the fight during Chris Weidman in UFC 168 two months ago.
No credible local or national media organizations have covered Guzman escaping from prison.
On Saturday, Huzlers published a fake story saying that Mexican authorities mistakenly arrested a man named Gregorio Chavez. It’s also bogus.
According to The Associated Press on Monday, Guzman is in jail, and it’s unclear what country will try him first--Mexico or the United States.
In Mexico, Guzman will likely face charges related to running the Sinaloa cartel, the most powerful in the country. But U.S. judges in seven federal district courts have issued indictments for him.
Jack Riley, the chief of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Chicago office, told the Chicago Sun-Times that he wants his office to try him, as Chicago recently named Guzman “Public Enemy No. 1.”
“I fully intend for us to have him tried here,” said Riley.
In 2001, Guzman escaped from prison via a laundry cart in Mexico’s Puente Grande prison. He was not seen in public since he was captured over the weekend in the resort town of Mazatlan.
