El Chapo's net worth: How does his wealth compare to other famous drug kingpins?

El Chapo's net worth: How does his wealth compare to other famous drug kingpins?

Drug trafficking is an industry that is surrounded by violence, corruption, and boatloads of money. One individual who normally makes a lot of money from this organization is the drug lord. Some personalities who have made a killing from drug trafficking include Pablo Escobar and El Chapo. But what is El Chapo’s net worth?

PAY ATTENTION: Сheck out news that is picked exactly for YOU ➡️ find “Recommended for you” block on the home page and enjoy!

El Chapo's net worth
El Chapo at La Palma prison in Almoloya of Juarez. Photo: Stringer
Source: Getty Images

El Chapo is a former Mexican drug lord. He was the leader of an international crime syndicate, the Sinaloa Cartel. El Chapo is ranked as one of the most powerful drug traffickers in the world. While holding the highest position in the cartel, he managed trafficking operations between Mexico and the United States.

El Chapo's profile summary

Full name

Joaquín Archivaldo Guzmán Loera

Nickname

El Chapo

Gender

Male

Date of birth

4 April 1957

Age

65 years old (as of 2022)

Zodiac sign

Aries

Place of birth

La Tuan, Badiraguato Municipality, Sinaloa, Mexico

Current residence

United States

Nationality

American

Ethnicity

Mexican

Religion

Christianity

Sexuality

Straight

Height in feet

5'6''

Height in centimetres

168

Weight in pounds

136

Weight in kilograms

62

Hair colour

Black

Eye colour

Dark brown

Mother

María Consuelo Loera Pérez

Father

Emilio Guzman Bustillos

Siblings

Armida, Bernarda, Miguel Ángel, Aureliano, Arturo, and Emilio

Relationship status

Married

Profession

Drug dealer

Net worth

$1 billion

Read also

What happened to bodybuilder Matt Mendenhall? Everything you need to know

What is El Chapo's net worth?

Is El Chapo still wealthy? Yes, he is still wealthy, but not as much as he was while operating the drug business. He has an estimated net worth of $1 billion as of 2022.

PAY ATTENTION: Enjoy reading our stories? Join YEN.com.gh's Telegram channel for more!

What was El Chapo's highest net worth? His highest net worth was more than $26 billion at the height of his empire between 2005 and 2011.

During this period, he had more than $15 billion worth of drugs stored in different warehouses in Sinaloa, ready to be shipped to the United States.

El Chapo's net worth
Mexico's Attorney General Arely Gomez shows a picture of Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman during a press conference. Photo: Yuri Cortez
Source: Getty Images

Even though El Chapo's net worth in 2022 has declined, the amount was highest during his active years. For instance, the prosecutors alleged that he made over $13 million through the drug syndicate in 2012. His net worth was estimated to be more than $16 billion during this period.

Read also

How old would Tupac be today, and how old was he when he died?

Here are the highlights of his net worth in different years:

  • 2000 – Over $140 million
  • 2005 – Over $10 billion
  • 2010 – Over $26 billion
  • 2015 – Over $7 billion
  • 2022 – Over $1 billion

How does El Chapo's wealth compare to other famous drug kingpins?

As of 2022, his net worth is not as high as other famous drug kingpins. For instance, Pablo Escobar Vs El Chapo net worth shows that Pablo had a higher net worth than El Chapo at the time of his death.

Here are the highlights of the other famous drug kingpin's net worths:

  • Al Capone - $1.47 billion
  • Griselda Blanco - $2.26 billion
  • Carlos Lehder - $3.05 billion
  • The Orejuela Bros - $3.39 billion
  • Jose Gonzalo Rodriguez Gacha: $5.65 billion
  • Khu Sa - $5.65 billion

How did El Chapo get his money?

El Chapo started working in the 1970s, transporting and overseeing drug shipments from the Sierra Madre to the US border. First, he worked under drug lord Hector El Guero Palma. Then, in the early 1980s, he started working as a chauffeur for Felix Gallardo of the Guadalajara Cartel before being promoted to head of logistics.

Read also

Who is Melissa Esplana? Nationality, age, ethnicity (with pictures)

In 1989, he was arrested for killing a DEA agent leading to the cartel split. He became one of the leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel. In his 30 years run as the head of the cartel, it is believed that he made more than 13 billion handlings:

  • Over 600,000 kg of cocaine
  • Over 200 kg of heroin
  • Over 420,000 kg of marijuana

While dealing with drugs, El Chapo received more than $100 million daily cash from his drug sales. The amount was so huge that it couldn't be laundered. As a result, he began buying safe houses to store the money. Since his arrest, more than $180 million in cash have been recovered from the safe houses.

Here are the highlights of his wealth:

  • He started his career with a meagre salary of $2 per day
  • He breached the $1 million net worth in 1992
  • By 2005, his worth was above $1 billion
  • By the time of his arrest, his net worth was $19 billion
  • After his arrest, his wealth was equally distributed among his children
El Chapo's net worth
Drug trafficker Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman is escorted to a helicopter by Mexican security forces. Photo: Susana Gonzalez
Source: Getty Images

Between 1989 and 1993, his cartel was involved in a feud with the Tijuana Cartel and as a result, numerous people were killed. Guadalajara's cardinal and archbishop, Juan Jesús Posadas Ocampo, was shot 14 times during the incident.

Read also

Who is Nasty Blaq? All you need to know about the Nigerian comedian

The Mexican government set out to arrest everyone involved in the shootout that led to the cardinal's death. Even though El Chapo hid in different cities, he was arrested on 9th June 1993 in Guatemala.

Where is El Chapo now? He is serving a life sentence at Colorado's Supermax prison in the United States. In addition, it is alleged that his sons manage more than 50 safe houses across Mexico, with an estimated over $400 million in cash stored there.

However, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has frozen numerous bank accounts related to the Sinola Cartel. In addition, more than $700 million in cash deposits from those accounts were returned to the United States government.

El Chapo's houses and cars

With his enormous wealth, El Chapo has several luxurious homes, cars, boats and watches. He has several houses at every beach and several ranches in every state in the USA. However, many of them were auctioned by the United States government in 2019.

For instance, three of his houses worth millions of dollars were auctioned and sold for only a fraction of their value. They were sold for only:

Read also

Fameye biography: career, songs, albums, awards, and latest updates

  • House 1 - $107, 530
  • House 2 - $64, 589
  • House 3 - $55,725

El Chapo's net worth proves that he was one of the biggest drug kingpins of all time. He has created an enviable empire that has seen him make it to the Forbes list of billionaires four years in a row. But unfortunately, his glory was short-lived as he was arrested and is currently serving his life sentence.

Yen.com.gh shared an article about Nick Cannon’s net worth. He is not just an entertainer but also a successful entrepreneur. The 40-year-old star has collaborated with other famous stars like R. Kelly, Kanye West, P. Diddy, and Mary J. Blige on various music projects.

Nick was not born into a wealthy family. However, he has worked his way from the bottom of the ladder to the top. As a result, his net worth has grown significantly over the years. With his entrepreneurial skills, it is not surprising how much he has made and what he is worth today.

Read also

MOG Music biography, songs, career, awards, net worth, facts

Subscribe to watch new videos

New feature: Сheck out news that is picked for YOU ➡️ find “Recommended for you” block on the home page and enjoy!

Source: YEN.com.gh

Authors:
Venic Mwendwa avatar

Venic Mwendwa Venic Nyanchama is a copywriter with more than two years of working experience in the journalism world. She has an educational background in Journalism and Media Studies from the University of Nairobi having graduated in 2014. Venic works on topics in Facts and Life Hacks since 2018. Email address: venicmwendwa@gmail.com