Mexico charges four officials over ‘El Chapo’ jailbreak

Four public officials have been charged for their suspected roles in the jailbreak of Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, the country's federal courts system said on Monday, bringing the total number of officials charged in his escape to seven.

Guzman broke out of the Altiplano prison maximum-security prison in central Mexico on July 11, escaping via a tunnel built right into his cell. The incident was a humiliating blow to Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto.

The federal judicial council said in a statement Monday that two of those charged are members of the Mexican intelligence service, CISEN, who worked at the prison and two were prison employees in the control room.

According to the charges, the four officials did not activate mechanisms to alert others of Guzman's escape, despite the fact all the technological systems needed to do so were working normally.

Proceedings have already begun against three other officials previously charged in Guzman's escape, including the person in charge of the control room and two guards.

Guzman also escaped from prison in 2001 and was only recaptured last year.

Wire services