El Licenciado: From El Chapo’s Right Hand Man to a Power Struggle

El Licenciado: From El Chapo’s Right-Hand Man to a Power Struggle examines the rise and collapse of Dámaso López Núñez, a former law-trained prison official who became one of the most influential operators inside the Sinaloa Cartel.
Unlike most cartel figures, El Licenciado did not emerge from poverty or the mountains. He came from inside the system. Educated, connected, and trusted, he played a critical role in Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán’s 2001 escape from Puente Grande—and went on to serve as one of his closest and most reliable allies for more than fifteen years.
This documentary traces how Dámaso López Núñez built power through logistics, negotiation, and corruption rather than public violence, and how that quiet influence placed him at the center of the cartel’s succession crisis after El Chapo’s capture and extradition.
As alliances fractured, mediation failed, and a three-sided conflict erupted between rival factions, El Licenciado found himself increasingly isolated. The same system that once protected him began to close in—leading to arrest, retaliation, cooperation with authorities, and lasting consequences for those around him.
Beyond one man’s story, this video explores how institutional access, corruption, and transnational organized crime intersect—and why power built without legitimacy rarely survives.
This video is part of Shadow Archives, a documentary series focused on power, corruption, and the hidden mechanisms behind organized crime—told without myths, without glorification.

Music: Crime is Everywhere by Soundridemusic

Primary Sources:
Mexican federal court records and U.S. court filings
Statements and briefings from the Mexican Attorney General’s Office (PGR/FGR)
Reporting by Proceso, Milenio, Animal Político, and El Universal
News coverage from Reuters, Associated Press, and BBC News
Official statements from Mexican Navy (SEMAR) and federal authorities

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