Interpol issues red notice for escaped Mexican drug lord

Interpol has issued a red notice for Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman who escaped from a maximum security prison in Mexico.

The International Police Organization says on its website the 58-year-old drug kingpin is wanted on U.S. federal charges for "conspiracy to import and possess cocaine with intent to distribute; money laundering, and criminal forfeiture (4 counts)."

An Interpol "red notice" calls for the arrest of a wanted person with a view to "extradition or similar lawful action," the website says.

Guzman escaped over the weekend from the Altiplano federal prison, 50 miles outside Mexico City, through a mile-long tunnel dug under the prison and up to the shower in his cell. The spot was the only location in the tiny cell that was partially out of view of a surveillance camera.

 Interpol has issued a…

On Monday, Mexican Attorney General Arely Gomez said Mexico was offering $3.8 million for information on Guzman's whereabouts.

The wealthy boss of the Sinaloa drug cartel was first captured in Guatemala in 1993. He was extradited to Mexico and was serving a 20-year sentence on drug trafficking charges when he escaped. He was recaptured at a Mexican beach resort in February 2014.

That apparently did not loosen his grip on the cartel, which is believed responsible for a major portion of marijuana, cocaine and heroin sold in the United States.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration says he was able to communicate with his son and other cartel leaders through lawyers and others who visited him at Altiplano. He vowed to escape again, and internal DEA documents obtained by the Associated Press reveal that U.S. drug agents were tipped that an escape plan was in the works a month after his capture.