joaquin guzman who goes by the nickname el chapo, is believed to control most of the major crossing points for drugs along the border for years sending cocaine, marijuana and meth north to america. >> he's sometimes called the osama bin laden of drug trafficking. >> reporter: guzman was last seen on surveillance video on his way to a prison shower. when he failed to emerge guards rushing in to find an empty cell. the notorious cartel leader had vanished. in that shower area, a hole in the wall 20 inches wide leading to a vertical pipe 30 feet deep complete with a staircase, eventually connecting to a one-mile-long tunnel so sophisticated, it was outfitted with ventilation and lighting. eventually emerging in a nearby neighborhood. these developments a major embarrassment for mexico which denied the need to extradite guzman even as many expressed fears he would escape as he did in 2001. the u.s. attorney general saying america would provide any assistance that may help support his swift recapture. this latest breakout eerily similar to the system of tunnels el chapo used to avoid capture for more than a decade.