Former DEA Official Claims Sean Penn Caused El Chapo's Capture To Be Delayed

The capture of Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán was apparently delayed because Sean Penn felt the need to meet with the disgraced cartel leader.

The former Sinaloa Cartel boss is currently rotting in a maximum security prison after he was captured on January 8, 2016 by Mexican Marines with the help of Delta Force in a legendary mission codenamed Operation Black Swan.

However, the military and Mexico could have had him in 2015 if Sean Penn had kept his nose out of it, according to former DEA official Jack Riley.

Sean Penn delayed the capture of El Chapo, a former DEA official claims. (Photo by Omar Marques/Getty Images)

Sean Penn delayed El Chapo capture, DEA official claims.

Riley told Andy Stump, a former ST6 commando, in a re-surfaced viral clip shared last week that the capture squad was in a valley ready to launch a massive assault, but it was called off because the actor and Mexican actress Kate del Castillo were meeting with El Chapo. The meeting was universally criticized once it became public.

Riley said the following in his interview with Stumpf:

"We didn't want to helicopter in because they'd hear the choppers. So, what we were going to do is drop the [Mexican] Marines and our guys in and let them ascend on foot. They had some ATVs to get up there, and then a pre-dawn raid. Hopefully, we grab him. Well, we were preparing to do that and everyone was bunkered down in a valley and as you well know, it's not a safe place to be when everyone who has a view on you is out to get you. But we were told to stop and we were told to stop because Sean Penn and a Mexican actress were up visiting Chapo. And that, just...All those guys' lives were put in jeopardy because of these two idiots. And of course, we eventually hit it the next morning, and he was long gone, and it was all because of them.

Riley also added that he wanted Penn and del Castillo charged for their actions. You can watch him break down the situation below.

You can watch Riley break the situation down below, and let me know your thoughts at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.

What an absolute circus Penn caused for the assault team. I can only imagine the outrage and anger the guys on the assault team had after learning they'd been called off because Sean Penn wanted to meet with a murderous cartel leader.

The reason why the raid had to be called off is because there would have been a high chance Penn would have been killed. There's footage of the Black Swan raid online that I won't share here. It's nuts and unbelievably violent. 

Generally speaking, the assumption has to be that not many people are going to leave alive from a target of such importance. El Chapo had heavily armed bodyguards, and the Mexicans and Americans came in HEAVY when they captured him. Bullets and explosives were flying.

Remember, Delta Force was on the raid that captured him. What role exactly did they play? That remains classified, but I'm 100% positive the American elements on the ground waiting to assault when Penn was there also included Delta Force. You send the best when going after the most powerful drug kingpin in the world.

Furthermore, the fact they were bunkered down in a valley put the good guys at a huge disadvantage. The last place you want to be in a gunfight is a valley against people in an elevated position. It's a nightmare scenario.

TOPSHOT - Mexican drug trafficker Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman was captured in a violent operation known as Operation Black Swan. (Photo by RONALDO SCHEMIDT/AFP via Getty Images)

How many lives could have been saved if the raid went off as initially planned? We'll never know, but we can apparently thank Sean Penn for the delay.