Why Did the Police Take El Chapo to a Motel in Facing El Chapo?

One detail in Netflix’s Facing El Chapo may seem more unbelievable than the accidental capture itself. After Arturo Carmona and Hector Rosales discover that their prisoner is Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, they do not immediately drive him to an ordinary police station. Instead, they hide one of the world’s most wanted criminals inside a roadside motel.

The scene is not simply a strange invention for the movie. Police really did take El Chapo to a motel after his January 2016 recapture because authorities feared armed cartel members were moving to rescue him. The motel gave the officers a temporary and relatively discreet place to wait until reinforcements could securely take custody of Guzman.

Spoiler Alert

El Chapo Was Caught While Trying to Escape Los Mochis

The motel makes more sense once the timing of the arrest is understood.

Earlier that morning, Mexican Marines had raided a property in Los Mochis as part of the operation to capture Guzman. He escaped through tunnels and eventually entered the city’s drainage system alongside Jorge Ivan “El Cholo” Gastelum.

After emerging from the drains, the two men stole vehicles in an attempt to get away. Federal police officers later intercepted the stolen car and discovered who was inside. At that point, the officers suddenly had an enormous problem.

They had successfully detained El Chapo, but they were still operating inside Sinaloa, where his organization possessed the manpower to attempt a rescue.

Why Didn’t They Take Him Straight to a Police Station?

According to later comments from Nicolas Gonzalez Perrin, who was a senior Federal Police official in Sinaloa at the time, the initial instruction was to move Guzman toward a military battalion. That plan changed.

Authorities began receiving reports about convoys potentially heading toward the area to recover the cartel leader. Rather than risk transporting Guzman along a predictable route while armed men were searching for him, the officers were directed toward a secure temporary location.

The choice was the Hotel & Suites Doux near Los Mochis. In other words, the motel was not their destination. It was a hiding place.

Related: Facing El Chapo Ending Explained: What Happens to El Chapo and the Two Officers?

Was the Motel Scene Really True?

Yes. Contemporary coverage from January 2016 documented Guzman’s stay at the motel, and photographs circulated showing him sitting handcuffed on the edge of a bed.

The Guardian reported that police used the motel as a discreet refuge while waiting for reinforcements. CNN also reported that Guzman was held there for roughly an hour and a half as authorities worked out how to safely move him from an area where the Sinaloa Cartel had enormous influence.

The location makes Facing El Chapo feel almost like a bottle thriller during its later stages, but history had already provided the filmmakers with that unusually cinematic setting.

Why Was Staying There So Dangerous?

Catching Guzman did not immediately neutralize the organization surrounding him.

The officers had to worry about whether armed cartel members could locate them before reinforcements arrived. At the same time, Guzman was reportedly trying to convince the police to release him.

Later accounts from Mexican federal police described both bribery attempts and threats during the period surrounding his detention. That combination explains much of the movie’s tension.

The officers cannot know exactly who they can trust. They cannot safely advertise their position. They are holding an extremely valuable prisoner whose organization has both money and armed men nearby. The motel room therefore becomes a waiting game.

Related: Facing El Chapo Filming Locations

Did El Chapo Escape From the Motel?

No. This time there was no hidden tunnel waiting for him. Additional members of the Mexican security forces eventually reached the location and took over custody of Guzman. The cartel did not manage to rescue him.

From there, Guzman’s life as a fugitive was effectively finished. His January 2016 arrest became his final recapture before Mexico extradited him to the United States the following year.

The Motel Explains What Facing El Chapo Is Really About

The sequence is important because Facing El Chapo is not primarily interested in presenting another grand history of the cartel leader.

It takes one short period during his downfall and focuses on the people who suddenly had responsibility for him.

Director Chava Cartas has said that the real hotel episode was one of three historical elements he considered essential to retain, alongside Operation Black Swan and the officers’ unexpected encounter with Guzman. That is why so much drama is concentrated in such an ordinary location.

El Chapo had money, influence and an armed organization searching for him. Carmona and Rosales had a motel room, their prisoner and the hope that help would arrive first.

For several tense minutes, that was enough to decide how one of Mexico’s most famous manhunts would end.