Shirts similar to the one worn by Joaquin El Chapo Guzman have been flying off the shelves in stores across the US, following the recent release of a photograph showing the Mexican drug lord with American actor Sean Penn.

Guzman, head of the Sinaloa drug cartel, was captured on 8 January, following a worldwide manhunt after he tunnelled out of a Mexican maximum security prison in July. The following day, Rolling Stone magazine published an article by Penn based on his interview with the drug boss.

Apparently the drug lords sartorial style did not go unnoticed. According to one Dallas-based store Gomez, the paisley patterned shirts made by the company Barabas swiftly sold out. Media outlets from across the United States noted similar consumer trends. Barabas even used the photo of Guzman and Penn to promote the shirts on its website, which reportedly crashed after news of the interview broke.

Mexico has said it plans to extradite Guzman to the US, where he is wanted for exporting hundreds of tonnes of cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin across the border.