Hoax busted: No, El Chapo has not escaped from prison for third time

Reports of notorious drug kingpin Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman's escape from a high-security Mexican prison for a third time in a row has stirred up the Internet. However, everyone now can just calm down as the rumours are just a hoax.

Since Friday, El Chapo has been trending on Twitter. It all began with Information Nigeria publishing an article claiming that the Sinaloa cartel boss has escaped a maximum security prison in Mexico for the third time.

“This escape plot was even more calculated than his previous escape. It was very well planned. He pretty much just walked out of the prison undetected and have no idea where he is now,” the article said, citing an unnamed prison official.

However, Information Nigeria later published a correction stating that the whole thing was a hoax and apologised. However, by then the story had taken wings on Twitter. 

The 61-year-old Mexican was sentenced to 20 years in prison for murder and drug trafficking in 1993. He made his first escape in 2001 after paying off the guards and apparently was ferried out from the prison in a laundry truck. He was recaptured in 2014 and sent back to the prison.

Almost exactly a year ago ‒ on July 12, 2015, he escaped through a half-mile long tunnel built below the prison. The tunnel even had a motorcycle retro-fitted on a rail track. He was, however, captured this year in January in massive joint operation carried out by the Mexican forces along with US.