Mexican and US authorities are scrambling to find Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman after his stunning escape from a maximum-security prison west of Mexico City on Saturday night.
Guzman is Mexico' most notorious drug lord now has one more nefarious title: serial prison escapee.
The leader of the Sinaloa Cartel stepped into a shower, crawled through a hole and vanished through a mile-long tunnel apparently built just for him.
Mexico's President is livid. So are U.S. officials. And if Guzman gets caught, he could be sent to the United States.
Guzman is the boss of one of the world's deadliest drug trafficking operations.
Official says he escaped through a ventilated, lighted tunnel about a mile long.
Mexican authorities are questioning 18 prison worker
How he did it
Guzman, whose nickname means "Shorty," has pulled off an elaborate escape from a maximum-security prison before. In 2001, he managed to break free while reportedly hiding in a laundry cart. It took authorities 13 years to catch him -- sleeping at a Mexican beach resort.
This time, during his escape from Altiplano federal prison in Almoloya de Juárez, officials believe he took a much more sophisticated route: a tunnel complete with lighting, ventilation and even a modified motorcycle on tracks "that was likely used to remove dirt during the excavation and transport the tools for the dig," Mexican National Security Commissioner Monte Alejandro Rubido said.
The tunnel began with a 50-by-50-centimeter (20-by-20-inch) opening inside the shower of Guzman's cell, Rubido said.
That opening connected to a vertical passageway going more than 10 meters (33 feet) underground. The passageway, outfitted with a ladder, led to a tunnel that was about 1.7 meters (5.6 feet) tall and more than 70 centimeters (28 inches) wide.
The tunnel stretched for about a mile and ended inside a half-built house. From there, Guzman's whereabouts are anyone's guess.
"This represents, without a doubt, an affront to the Mexican state," Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto said. "But also I am confident that the institutions of the Mexican state, particularly those in charge of public safety, are at the level ... to recapture this criminal."
Mexican authorities said they have brought 18 prison workers to Mexico City for questioning, but it's unclear how many may have played a role in the escape.
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