Sean Penn almost led police to drug lord El Chapo's lair after phone was tapped
Unbeknown to Sean Penn, who visited the drug lord better known as El Chapo in October 2015 at his secret Mexican hideout, their calls were being tapped by US intelligence agencies
Hollywood star Sean Penn almost led the world’s biggest cartel boss to be captured after the pair’s phone calls were spied on.
The actor had been invited to a sit-down with Joaquín Guzmán Loera, who wanted a blockbuster movie made about his life.
But unbeknown to Penn, who visited the drug lord better known as El Chapo in October 2015 at his secret Mexican hideout, their calls were being tapped by US intelligence agencies.
The meeting had been set up by Mexican soap-opera star Kate del Castillo, who three years earlier had tweeted in support of Guzmán.
The post saw the billionaire Sinaloa cartel boss, 63, become obsessed with the actress, 47, who he then sent a mobile phone to so he could contact her.
Together they arranged for Penn, 60, to travel to a remote location near the Mexican city of Cosalá by two planes and a rocky seven-hour ride in an SUV to his lair.
Guzmán, who had escaped from a Mexican prison just months earlier, thought the visit was to discuss a potential film but unbeknown to him Penn was there solely to write an article for Rolling Stone magazine.
During the meeting, the two men were famously pictured together.
However, the pair were oblivious to how for weeks all their calls were being monitored by America’s National Security Agency (NSA) for the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA).
In a new book, called “El Jefe: The Stalking of Chapo Guzmán” author Alan Feuer details the breach of Guzmán’s security that almost led to his early capture.
“It was undeniably mental that the NSA — the NSA — had used its secret hardware to eavesdrop on the world’s most wanted criminal vetting Sean Penn’s Hollywood career,” he wrote.
“It was often impossible with Chapo Guzmán to know where the folklore ended and the facts began.
“The anecdotes about his life and crimes had been passed from hand to hand so often they had finally acquired the edgeless quality of fables.”
American authorities who were aiding the raid Guzmán’s hideout when Penn was due to visit saw the actor’s appearance as a huge problem.
Feuer said: “American law enforcement was concerned that Penn’s visit was going to make it more difficult for the Mexican marines to execute a raid.
“They were also concerned that Guzmán would leave his hideout to meet Penn elsewhere.”
But the Mexicans, who had been surveilling them on the ground, were less concerned.
“The Mexicans wanted to push forward with the raid,” Feuer said.
Ultimately, a storm left Mexican helicopters grounded when Penn was there allowing time for the actor and Castillo to leave before a failed raided was launched six days later.
Guzmán was later captured by Mexican authorities months later in January 2016, before being extradited to the States to face trial.
He was later found guilty of drug crimes as well as murder conspiracy, sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole plus 30 years.
He is today being held America’s highest-security prison, ADX Florence known as the ‘Alcatraz of the Rockies’.
Last week he launched an appeal over his condition.
Penn later admitted he had “terrible regret” about his meeting with Guzmán, saying in it failed to “contribute to this conversation on the war on drugs.”
Despite his imprisonment, Feuer believes the drug kingpin is still pursuing his Hollywood ambitions.
“I know for certain that Guzmán is still trying to peddle his movie from prison,” he said.
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