Rival cartels are competing for control of El Chapo's ' drug tunnels' as they battle to dominate the US market.

Mexican drug lord Joaquin Guzman, commonly known as El Chapo , was found guilty in February of trafficking tonnes of cocaine, heroin and marijuana while head of the Mexican Sinaloa Cartel.

His huge empire used underground tunnels crossing the US-Mexico border that allowed his associates to move billions of dollars worth of drugs.

The 62-year-old was jailed for life after a highly publicised trial in the US earlier this year.

But Guzman's tunnels continue to be used and the Sinaloa Cartel is not the only gang transporting their goods, according to reports.

Criminal organisations are working both hand in hand and competing against one another over the routes, the Daily Star reports.

Duncan Wood, Director of the Wilson Centre’s Mexico Institute, told Daily Star: "I imagine that at any one time there are between 10 and 50 tunnels operating.

"Not all of them are going to active operating at the same time but they will be available.

"The cartels have invested in a lot of time and effort over the years in building these tunnels.

"They’re picking out the right locations within urban areas, as well as desert, so that they can move the drugs. 

"The best thing about operating out of an urban area is of course that you can build your tunnel from within a building and have it come up within a building on the other side. 

"It never gets seen by the authorities."

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