Joaquín Archivaldo Guzmán Loera, otherwise known as “El Chapo,” is a Mexican drug lord who is known to be one of the most powerful drug dealers in the world. He was the leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, one of the most violent drug cartels which controls 40-60% of Mexico’s drug trade.

Two days before the beginning of the deliberations of Guzman’s drug trafficking trial in New York, unsealed documents revealed serious allegations against the defendant. He was accused of sexually harassing, drugging and raping underage girls as young as 13 on several occasions. He received pictures of young girls from a person referred to as Commadre Maria who was paid around $5,000 for each girl. These girls were then raped by Guzman and his associates at one of his ranches. Guzman referred to the youngest girls as his “Vitamins” since he believed that having sex with them gave him life.

A witness in the trial, who was a former right-hand man of Guzman, testified that his boss used to mix a “powdery substance” in the girls’ drinks and then proceeded to have intercourse with them. According to Guzman’s attorney Eduardo Balarezo, Guzman “denies the allegations, which lack any corroboration and were deemed too prejudicial and unreliable to be admitted at trial.” Guzman has also decided not to testify in his own defense since testifying would expose him to a lot of cross questioning by the prosecutors.

This drug lord, who is also an abuser, is unfortunately considered a hero at his home in Mexico. As the New York Times mention, for many Mexicans El Chapo is a combination of Robin Hood and a billionaire who deserves respect because of his ability to outsmart the government, which the majority of Mexicans despise. A blogger named Adrian Cabrera tells the reason behind why El Chapo is admired. He says that El Chapo has been living like a television character whose life revolves around drugs, money, power, girls and fame. However, his life is not a scripted movie, it’s real.

To see that people admire him is sad and to see him get away with sexual assault is deeply troubling. Often, fame and power leads to people owing these powerful figures, which buys them a lot of silence. Also, wealthy guys can play the legal system by throwing around cash just as El Chapo allegedly tried to bribe the president of Mexico. Sexually assaulting someone is more about power and dominance. It stems from the perpetrator’s need of control. Seeing powerful people like Weinstein, Cosby and El Chapo get away with assaults is heart shattering and utterly unacceptable. The police and the government should not bow down to these powerful men; they need to take some serious action against these perpetrators because sexual abuse is a serious crime and has a deep impact on an individual’s mental health.

It is not okay to exercise power and control over other people. It is not okay to objectify women’s bodies by calling them ‘vitamins’ and what not. The lives of the people that have power and fame are visible to the public and we never know who is drawing inspiration from whom. It is important and urgent to identify these predators and lock them up for good, which will in turn create a safe space for other people and their mental well being.