Escaped Drug Lord ‘El Chapo’ Twitter Death Threats on Donald Trump Being Taken Seriously

Donald Trump is taking Twitter threats on his life from escaped Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman seriously. Trump has been using Guzman's escape in his continuing calls for tighter border control between Mexico and the United States. A Twitter account, allegedly belonging to Guzman or a family member, sent threatening tweets to Trump in response.

Trump said that he increased his security detail at an event on Tuesday. He also contacted the FBI on Monday about the Twitter threats, asking them to look into it.

"El Chapo" escaped from the Altiplano Federal Prison in Mexico on Saturday. Guzman is the leader of the notorious, multi-billion dollar Sinaloa Cartel, a major drug trafficker. He escaped prison by going through a large tunnel built into a shower in the prison, a newly released video shows. This isn't the first time Guzman escaped prison – he also broke out in 2001, apparently by hiding in a laundry cart.

Trump, who announced that he is running for president in 2016, has been talking about Guzman frequently in his comments on immigration and the Mexican border. He tweeted that Guzman and drug cartels slip by the border easily, and that corruption led to Guzman's escape, which the United States will have to pay for.

"Keep f*cking around and I'm gonna make you swallow your whore words you f*cking whitey milksh*tter," a Twitter account allegedly run by Guzman said, originally in Spanish, in response to Trump.

The joke around town is that I freed El Chapo from the Mexican prison because the timing was so good w/ my statements on border security.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 13, 2015

Trump has been going on the offensive on immigration issues. He said that immigrants from Mexico are "killers and rapists," one of many comments leading to outrage across the country. Macy's and NBC cut ties with Trump over his remarks. Celebrities such as America Ferrera, Shakira, and Ricky Martin have spoken out against Trump.

Despite the outcry, Trump is the top Republican contender for president as of Wednesday.