THE lair used by infamous drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman to escape cops is up for sale for just £9.

His former safe house, which comes complete with the secret hot tub tunnel, is to be raffled off in Mexico for the bargain price, along with other properties owned by big cartel names.

The Sinaloa cartel kingpin fled the home in Culiacan as police moved in to arrest him in 2014.

He dramatically escaped through a tunnel under the bathtub that connected to a storm drain, only to be arrested six days later.

After his subsequent reimprisonment, he upped his antics and performed a second escape in July 2015 from the Altiplano prison in Almoloya de Juarez by fleeing through a hole under the shower in his cell.

He has made numerous bold breakouts, including one in 2001 when he managed to escape Puente Grande, a maximum-security Mexican prison in the sate of Jalisco, by hiding in a laundry cart and bribing guards.

The 64-year-old is now serving a life sentence in a US prison, but he was once considered the “most powerful drug trafficker in the world” by the US Department of the Treasury.

The accommodation up for grabs, which appears relatively understated from the outside, is worth about $184,000 – equivalent to £133,000 – but is being sold for just 250 pesos, or £9.

Behind the white facade hides a high-security safe house with scores of cameras and reinforced steel doors.

The interior is modest – which was said to be part of El Chapo’s strategy to be able to hide in plain sight.

But beneath the bathroom’s tub lies a secret tunnel which leads users to a string of safe houses via the town’s sewage system.

Culiacan, where the houses are located, is considered the 21st most dangerous city in the world, according to 2020 data.

El Chapo’s former home is among several assets being raffled off on September 15, the government confirmed.

The national lottery office said the “payback” consists of 248 different prizes, as well as cash worth $12.5 million.

Also up for grabs are 22 other homes, including the Mexico City mansion of the former head of the Juarez cartel, Amado Carrillo.

The luxury property boasts spas, saunas and a ballroom, as well as a large indoor pool, and is estimated to be worth about $3.8m.

A private box at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City will also be given away, with all proceeds going towards Covid-19 vaccines, scholarships and wellness programs.

Source:- The Sun uk