Calling into work with a BS reason definitely carries some risk. If you're caught lying about an illness or a family emergency, chances are you'll receive some kind of punishment like a slap on the wrist, immediate termination, or—if you're working for a notorious drug lord—death.
During a Tuesday's trial for Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, jurors heard testimony on how the defendant allegedly had a family member killed for playing hooky. The witness claimed El Chapo's cousin Juan "Juancho" Guzman told the kingpin he was unable to make it to work because he was out of town. The cousin was then spotted at a public park in Culican, Mexico on the day he was supposed to be gone. Sinaloa cartel lieutenant Damaso Lopez told the court El Chapo became furious after learning about his cousin's dishonesty.
According to the New York Post, El Chapo allegedly ordered his team to retrieve Juancho for interrogation in December 2011. The drug lord apparently didn't like his cousin's answers.
"My compadre became angry, because [Juancho] had lied to him," Lopez told jurors. "[El Chapo] ordered [the assassin] to take [Juancho] toward Culican, to kill him, and to leave him on the outskirts of Culican."
Juancho's secretary was also allegedly killed because he happened be there at the time.
"They both have to suffer the same fate," El Chapo allegedly said after ordering the assassinations.
El Chapo's alleged mistress Lucero Guadalupe Sanchez Lopez spoke about Juancho's death in court last week. She described the time El Chapo's secretary interrupted their dinner to inform the boss that Juancho—also known as Virgo—had been killed.
"He turned around and looked at me in a slow demeanor and then he said something I did not like," she told the court. "He said from that point on, whoever betrayed him, they would die. Whether they were family or women, they were going to die."
