Mexican military and nationwide guard troops captured Guzmán within the Sinaloa town of Culiacán in January in gun battles that left no less than 29 other people lifeless. He has been indicted in New York, Chicago and D.C. on federal fees of trafficking fentanyl, cocaine, heroin and different unlawful medication to america.
Guzmán’s extradition were a concern for the Biden management, which has intensified drive on Mexico to curb the manufacturing of fentanyl because it has devastated American communities. U.S. officers view extradition as the most important as a result of main traffickers have taken good thing about lax controls at Mexican prisons up to now to both break out or proceed working their drug empires from in the back of bars.
Mexican officers have stated privately in contemporary weeks that they concept Guzmán’s extradition procedure would take every other 12 months, as he exhausted attainable appeals.
It used to be now not transparent why the extradition used to be abruptly authorized and achieved. U.S. government introduced it Friday night, as a lot of Mexico used to be celebrating the rustic’s Independence Day vacation. There used to be no fast remark from senior Mexican officers.
Garland on Friday praised the cooperation of U.S. and Mexican government and expressed gratitude for many who “have given their lives within the pursuit of justice.”
“This motion is the latest step within the Justice Division’s effort to assault each facet of the cartel’s operations,” Garland stated in a commentary. “The Justice Division will proceed to carry responsible the ones accountable for fueling the opioid epidemic that has devastated too many communities around the nation.”
Federal prosecutors allege that the Sinaloa cartel has been a pioneer in large-scale fentanyl manufacturing — acquiring precursor chemical compounds in large part from China, production the drug in Mexico after which smuggling it into america.
Fentanyl is the main explanation for loss of life for American citizens ages 18 to 49, government say. Between 2019 and 2021, deadly overdoses higher through 94 p.c. An estimated 196 American citizens die in step with day from fentanyl, in line with the Justice Division.
Whilst U.S. prosecutors have referred to as Ovidio Guzmán a significant fentanyl trafficker, it wasn’t transparent he can be attempted any time quickly for that crime. Garland didn’t say the place Guzmán were despatched Friday. However the Chicago Tribune reported that he would first stand trial in Illinois.
Indictments there accuse Guzmán and 3 of his brothers of delivery large quantities of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamines and marijuana to america. The USA has introduced a praise of as much as $10 million for info resulting in the arrest or conviction of the 2 oldest brothers, Iván and Jesús Alfredo, and a $5 million award for the more youthful brother, Joaquín. The siblings are jointly referred to as the Chapitos.
Their father, Joaquín Guzmán, 66, used to be discovered to blame through a federal jury in New York in 2019 of drug trafficking, cash laundering and guns fees. He used to be sentenced to lifestyles plus 30 years, and is now on the Administrative Most U.S. Prison, or Supermax, in Florence, Colo.
The search for Ovidio Guzmán used to be an extended and painful workout for the federal government of Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. The Mexican army captured the alleged trafficker in 2019 however used to be pressured to unlock him after Sinaloa cartel gunmen seized regulate of Culiacán and threatened a massacre. The president used to be extensively criticized after signing off on that call.
