As officials continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding El Chapo’s awe-inspiring escape, it becomes increasingly apparent that this guy really is a criminal genius. They’ve now found a small dead bird in his cell bin, believed to have been used as a living oxygen test to make sure the air in the tunnel was breathable.

Yesterday we wondered how on earth he was able to literally stroll out of his cell, without anyone noticing. And we’re not the only ones. As the New York Times reports:

It’s kind of like a joke,” Carl Pike, a retired Drug Enforcement Administration official, said on Tuesday.

Gee, a tunnel. Who would have thought?’ It’s kind of a no-brainer.”

If you were wondering if Mexicans have a different definition of maximum security jail, it appears El Chapo was fairly well locked up:

To reach Mr. Guzmán’s cell is to pass through a tangle of doors, halls, flights of stairs and courtyards in the three-story Altiplano prison. More than 17 gates must be opened by machine.

In an attempt to stem the flow of embarrassing “how the hell did this happen (did someone say corruption?)” questions, Mexican authorities are giving journalists a guided tour of the escape route to demonstrate just how much skill went into the master plan, and one supposes relieve themselves of some of the culpability. Although given how busy HR have been, it definitely sounds like there’s been some fishy business somewhere:

The head of the maximum-security prison has been fired, as have a host of other officials involved with the nation’s prison system. The head of intelligence for the federal police has also been fired. And more than 40 guards and staff members at the prison are being questioned.

This is fast becoming a real-life telenovela, next instalment pending.

[source: The New York Times]