El Chapo

People seem to have a fascination with outlaws. Joaquin Guzman is the most successful outlaw of all time. He became one of the wealthiest and well-known people in the world by delivering illegal drugs. He never gave speeches and very few interviews. Never wrote much. Very possibly he is illiterate. He didn't go to school. Too far away and he was needed to work in the marijuana and opium poppy fields his family tended. He is a genius at seeing and seizing opportunities, usually concerning making money illicitly. He is a tough guy and he sticks to doing his business and not getting involved with "side jobs" like kidnapping and extortion. Those are for organizations who thrive on meanness and brutality. El Chapo runs a clean business to distribute drugs and he has been the best at it. His boys can be tough if they have to be, but El Chapo does business with money. Money coming in and going out. Paying the right people the right amount to cover his tracks. In his trials there is never any hard evidence against him. No confessions. No real witnesses. He has been convicted because of his reputation. He is known as a drug lord, but there is no solid proof that he has broken any laws. This play is designed to give a glimpse at El Chapo's personality and a basic description of the way he became who he is.