CIA Orders Halt of Chapo Capture Due to Sean Penn Interview

According to a new documentary titled Operación Cisne Negro, the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) ordered Mexican authorities to stop an operation intended to capture Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán following his planned interview with actor Sean Penn and actress Kate del Castillo in January 2016.

While the actors traveled separately into Mexico's Sierra Madre mountains, intelligence agents monitored their movements using drones provided by the CIA. Mexican officials had previously attempted multiple times to arrest El Chapo after he escaped Federal Prison Camp No. 1 'El Altiplano' through a tunnel in early 2016.

A federal intelligence agent speaking anonymously for the documentary stated that operations were halted because Sean Penn was involved, despite his role as an interviewer rather than a participant in criminal activities. Former Mexican Secretary of the Interior Miguel Ángel Osorio Chong confirmed that U.S. authorities provided significant support regarding information and location tracking during these months leading up to the failed attempt.