Mexican marines recaptured the fugitive drug kingpin, six months after his spectacular prison break embarrassed authorities.
Gomez said Guzman escaped a previous attempt to capture him in October when the Mexican special forces decided not shoot since he was with two women and a girl.
And with few high-security facilities available, Guzman was sent back to the Altiplano penitentiary that he escaped from near Mexico City. US officials refused to confirm USA involvement.
Once featured in the Forbes list of billionaires, Guzman has led a cartel that smuggled billions of dollars worth of cocaine, heroin, marijuana and methamphetamines into the United States and fought vicious turf wars with other Mexican gangs.
The 58-year-old drug lord's arrest will relieve Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, who was tainted for the past escapades of Guzman since July.
Five people were killed and one Mexican marine wounded in the clash.
El Chapo is being transported back to Antiplano - the same maximum-security prison where he escaped previous year using an elaborate tunnel that was dug under his shower stall, Gomez Gonzalez said. They did not mention extradition. "It's nearly a forced moved".
Sentiment echoed by US Senator Marco Rubio, a Republican presidential candidate, who demanded Guzman be turned over immediately to US authorities. If found guilty, Guzman would likely spend the rest of his life in prison in the U.S. On Friday, a DEA official told NBC News that the U.S. had helped Mexico locate Guzman again ahead of his third capture, and that it would be hard for Nieto to take the risk of another escape by the drug lord.
Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, a notorious Mexican drug kingpin, was captured by Mexican forces in Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico on January 8 (video below).
Apparently Guzman thought his story was worthy of Hollywood.
"He established communication with actresses and producers with a view to making an autobiographical film", she confirmed.
Pena Nieto said he personally issued the order to recapture Guzman and heaped praise on Mexican agencies for their co-ordinated effort. Authorities tailed an expert in building to tunnels to his location in Los Mochis, Gómez said. The team noticed a lot of activity at the house Wednesday and the arrival of a auto early Thursday morning.
One local resident, who asked not to be named for fear of retribution, said the operation appears to have been triggered after a neighbor complained there were armed men outside his house. After coming under fire for failing to do so the last time, Mexico's Attorney General's office said in July it had approved an order to extradite him north of the border. Marines climbed into the drains in pursuit. El Chapo managed to flee the scene in a getaway auto, and was later captured via a tip-off from the Mexican Navy.
"It would be better for the Americans to take him away", he said.
Along with Guzman, authorities have arrested other senior members of the Sinaloa Cartel, including Ivan Gastelum, also known as "El Cholo Ivan".
"This gives important credibility to the Mexican government. It shows that the public can have confidence in its institutions", Pena Nieto said later in a public address. USA indictments claim the organization used assassins and hit squads to show its muscle.
Originally arrested in 1993 in Guatemala, Guzman bribed his way out of a maximum security jail in 2001, less than a week before he was due to be extradited to the United States.
He detailed that this arrest was the result of several months' intelligence work, which focused on identifying, detaining and dismantling those within Guzman's sphere of influence.
Two of the rifles seized were.50-caliber sniper guns, capable of penetrating most bullet-proof vests and cars. An assault rifle had a 40-mm grenade launcher and at least one grenade.
