Special agent who once helped capture El Chapo has book deal

Jan 31, 2017 | 11:15 AM

NEW YORK — A former special agent who once helped capture the Mexican drug lord known as El Chapo is working on a book.

HarperCollins told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the Drug Enforcement Administration official, writing under the pseudonym “Cole Merrell,” was collaborating with author Douglas Century on “Hunting El Chapo.” The book is scheduled to come out Oct. 17. Century’s previous books include “Barney Ross” and “Street Kingdom.”

According to the publisher, “Hunting El Chapo” will offer a “cinematically” detailed take on the investigation and eventual capture of Joaquin Archivaldo Guzman-Loera in 2014. El Chapo escaped in 2015, was recaptured last year and was extradited to the U.S. earlier this month.