I think Mexico, by sending him back to Altiplano, is sending a clear message that it believes its prison system is perfectly capable of housing and holding onto El Chapo. Mexico is not about to say we're sending El Chapo to the U.S. because otherwise he might escape again. He has a long sentence to finish in Mexico and several new cases. Unless the U.S. makes Mexico an offer it can't refuse (perhaps in some other area like trade, foreign aid, etc) I think it will be a long time before El Chapo ever sets foot in the U.S.

Also, Mexico wants answers as to who helped him escape from Altiplano in July, and how he did it. They are unlikely to send him to the U.S. before getting answers to those questions.[Added: One political party is actively opposing extradition.)

Back to the pres conference. Since I don't speak much Spanish, I didn't understand most of what was said. This Associated Press article has a brief recap in English. But the interesting part was after the speeches. First, soldiers pulled the podium away.

Then two military vehicles came on scene. One held El Cholo and the other held El Chapo. There were perp walks for both.

El Cholo looked very unhappy, but at least they gave him a shirt to wear.

El Chapo's perp walk is longer, and there are closeups as he is removed from the military vehicle and walked across the tarmac to the Marina helicopter.

He too was provided a real shirt -- and track pants -- and after putting him in the chopper, both aircraft took off.

He didn't get to look out the window.

Chapo's expression throughout was deadpan -- no discernable reaction -- although I suspect some will read resignation into the screenshots. Still, they are very revealing, at least physically.

There's a bit of a variance between the official version of the arrest and the news earlier. The Government seems to be saying that after the shootout, El Chapo and El Cholo (Orso Ivan Gastelum Cruz) escaped through the sewers, stole a vehicle, and were intercepted and captured on the road outside Los Mochis, and then taken to the Doux Motel.

Earlier news articles said they were captured at the Doux Motel .

The shootout that occurred earlier was at a private residence in Los Mochis. While some news sites say the house was under construction, others say El Chapo had been living there for a while and it was under surveillance for a month. Two days ago, the Government says, they had information el Chapo was there and decided to move in. In any event, the shootout was hours before the captures.

The Attorney General also said something about being able to locate El Chapo because he had contacted actors and producers to make a movie of his life (that sounds far-fetched to me. I can see his sons doing that, but not him.) [Correction: I'm wrong about this. See my later post about the Sean Penn-Kate Castillo interview of El Chapo in Rolling Stone. They may or may not be the persons the AG was referring to with respect to a biopic, but given the interview, its close enough to refute my assumption El Chapo wouldn't be interested.)

One thing that was apparent: Contrary to earlier reports that El Chapo injured his leg in an earlier raid in Sinaloa, he had no noticeable limp in any of yesterday's videos.

Also, as nicely as El Chapo was handled in front of the cameras during his transfer to the chopper in Mexico City, it was a bit different in Los Mochis. Here's a 5 second video from journalist Lopez Doriga showing El Chapo being bundled into a Lear Jet in El Mochis with his pants falling down and "crack" exposed, plumber style.

Here's a photo of El Chapo, handcuffed and sitting on the bed at the Doux Motel. He looks a little swollen, but that could be from the sewer.

The Mexican press took great delight in publishing the photos of the five dead sicarios from the shootout (please don't post links here.)

As for El Cholo Ivan, his real name is Orso Iván Gastélum Cruz or Jorge Ivan Gastelum Avila. Here's an older photo of him.

The Mexican Government has said he controls the region of the Evora, i.e. Guamuchil, Angostura and Mocorito. It also said he is El Chapo's Chief of assassins. He escaped from prison in 2009, was captured in March, 2015, and obviously got out again.

El Cholo Ivan may be most famous for putting banners everywhere in Los Mochis after his girlfriend, Ms. Sinaloa of 2012, Maria Susana Flores Gamez , was killed during a shootout by the Mexican military. He would leave notes all over asking for the arrest of a Mexican general he thought was responsible for her death. He reportedly was a cell leader for Sinaloa in charge of the battle against Beltran Leyva at some point, and more recently,against "Chapo Isidro" Meza Flores and gang.

There was another raid in Los Mochis in October -- the DEA helped in that one. El Chapo got away by just a few minutes. There are also reports of a failed attempt to capture him in Los Mochis around July 30, just a few weeks after his escape.

All in all, while the arrest may get some egg off Mexico's face, it will make zero difference in the production or availability of drugs, either in Mexico or the U.S. Also interesting: none of Mexico's leaders credited the U.S. or phone surveillance at all in yesterday's arrest.