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Okay. Just how powerful is the president of the United States? According to Forbes Magazine, Barack Obama is the most powerful person in the world because he controls the world’s largest economy, military and nuclear arsenal. China’s president Hu Jin Tao is No. 2 on the Forbes list. Russian Prime Minister Bladmir Putin is third.

 

It also takes a powerful man to control the flow of cocaine into the US, and for that reason, Mexican drug lord Joaquin Guzman also made the Forbes list. CNN’s Latin American affairs editor Rafael Romo looks at Guzman, and why Washington would pay millions to put him away. His name is Joaquin Guzman, better known as El Chapo, Spanish for Shorty. Mexican authorities say he is the leader of the Sinaloa cartel which controls much of the cocaine smuggled into the United States from Northern Mexico.

 

The 52-year-old drug lord is in the news once again after becoming No. 41 on the list of the most powerful people in the world on Forbes magazine ahead of presidents, Nicolas Sarkozy of France and Dmitry Medvedev of Russia. His fortune estimated at $1 billion also put him on the list of the richest people in the world a few months ago. His status sheds a light on Mexico’s drug problem.

 

The county’s war on drugs has killed 11,000 people since December of 2006 when current president Felipe Calderon took office. “With the Mexican government engaged in a violent struggle against these well-armed drug cartels, frequently resembling advanced military units, the United States in this congress can not ignore our role in assisting our neighbor and ally in this fight, and of course in preventing that violence from slipping into the United States.”

 

In a bold move, the Mexican government announced a $2 million reward for information leading to the arrest of each of 24 drug lords whose criminal organizations terrorize the country. Joaquin Guzman is wanted by Mexico, the United States and Interpol. And the US is offering $5 million for his capture. Part of the problem, according to analysts, is that local police in Mexico are infiltrated by the drug cartels. “We are talking about an infiltration level that goes beyond 60% of police departments. That’s when we talk about local police.”

 

 

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