El Chapo escaped from two different prisons , both in Mexico, and he has not escaped from any U.S. prison.

Quick answer

  • Number of prisons escaped: 2
  • Countries: Mexico only
  • U.S. prisons: 0 escapes (he is currently in a “Supermax” facility in Colorado).

The two Mexican prison escapes

1. First escape: 2001

  • JoaquĂ­n “El Chapo” GuzmĂĄn was first imprisoned in 1993.
  • In 2001 , he escaped from a high-security Mexican prison, widely reported as having been smuggled out—some accounts say using bribes and possibly a laundry cart or similar method.
  • After this escape, he remained free for more than a decade before being caught again in 2014.

2. Second escape: 2015

  • He was recaptured in January 2014 and sent to a maximum-security facility called La Moderna near Guadalajara.
  • On July 11, 2015 , he escaped again through a 5,000-foot (about 1.5 km) tunnel dug from a shower in his cell to a construction site outside the prison.
  • Some reports describe him using a makeshift motorcycle inside the tunnel to speed through part of it.

He was eventually recaptured in January 2016 and later transferred to the United States, where he was convicted and sent to the Administrative Maximum Facility (ADX) in Florence, Colorado—often called the “Alcatraz of the Rockies”.

Why no U.S. prison escapes?

  • The ADX (Supermax) in Colorado has never had a successful escape since it opened in 1994.
  • El Chapo’s letter from Sinaloa Cartel associates and media reports about fears of an escape plot inside ADX have not resulted in any actual escape; officials say the facility is designed to make escapes virtually impossible.

Has he escaped from more than two prisons?

Despite the dramatic nature of his escapes and many rumors over the years, all credible sources consistently state:

  • Total prison escapes: 2
  • Total prisons escaped from: 2 (both Mexican).

There is no verified evidence that he escaped from a third prison or from any U.S. facility. Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.