Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman appears to be having some spiritual journey these days after he escaped prison last July.
Guzman—now in his new tightly secured cell where he has two guards outside watching him every minute of the day and a dog whose job is to test his food before he eats it to make sure it is not poisoned—has reportedly started to read the Spanish-translation of Rick Warren's "The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here for?" along with other novels.
Since he was recaptured in January and brought back to Altiplano prison west of Mexico City, Guzman has also read the classic Don Quijote, a federal official told the Associated Press.
In a recent tweet, Andrew Chesnut, professor of Religious Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University and a specialist in Latin American religion, said Guzman's mother is Pentecostal, according to the Christian Post.
The formerly most wanted man in Mexico is reportedly not doing well health-wise, suffering from overweight and low blood pressure.
He has no television in his cell and only gets free reading material.
Citing the officials, AP said Guzmam's cell "remains under constant observation and has no blind spots," unlike the previous cell which he tunneled out with the help of his associates.
"The floors of the prison's top-security cells have since been reinforced with a 16-inch bed of concrete with a double layer of rebar," CBN News reported.
AP said the official, whose name was withheld because he was not authorised to speak, granted the interview following a spate of complaints by Guzman's lawyers and relatives who said his health was not in good shape.
He reportedly had complained of not getting enough sleep.
Before he escaped, Guzman was allowed a four-hour conjugal visit every nine days. In addition, the officials said, he was supplied with Viagra.
He has not been given Viagra since Jan. 8 nor has he received conjugal visits. He reportedly applied for permission to renew them this week, said the Business Insider.
In October 2015, Guzman met with American actor Sean Penn and Mexican actress Kate del Castillo, purportedly to discuss a project to document his life in a movie.
Conversations through text messages with del Castillo ultimately led to his recapture.
