According to government surveillance photos obtained by Mexico’s El Universal, law enforcement was tracking Sean Penn’s moves from the moment he stepped off the airplane for his notorious meeting with the country’s most wanted man.

The extremely pixelated photos (Borderland Beat says they were taken by agents with a telephoto lens) show Penn and actress Kate del Castillo arriving at Guadalajara International Airport and connecting with members of El Chapo’s inner circle. It’s still unclear what role Penn’s meeting (and bonkers Rolling Stone article) played in taking down El Chapo, but the Universal story indicates Mexican police, at the very least, had Penn on a short leash.

Contact the author at biddle@gawker.com.
Public PGP key
PGP fingerprint: E93A 40D1 FA38 4B2B 1477 C855 3DEA F030 F340 E2C7