Ovidio Guzmán: Extradition of ‘El Chapo’ son to the US halted after 29 killed in arrest operation

CNN
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A federal judge in Mexico City has halted the extradition of the son of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzmán, alleged drug cartel leader. Ovidio Guzmanarrived in the United States on Friday, the day after he was captured during an aggressive operation in the north Mexico resulted in the deaths of 29 people.

The United States is seeking the extradition of Guzmán for drug trafficking and has offered up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest of a man it says is “a senior member of the Sinaloa Cartel.”

On Thursday, Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard confirmed that there was an arrest warrant in the United States dated September 19, 2019, but said the possibility of Guzmán’s extradition would not be immediate due to the country’s procedures. law. He also stated that Guzmán was conducting legal proceedings in Mexico.

According to the Televisa network and other Mexican media, another federal judge later ordered Guzmán to stay for 60 days in preventive detention for extradition purposes following a federal prison hearing. Altiplano maximum security state where he is being held.

CNN has requested a response from Guzmán’s defense but has yet to receive a response.

Video of El Chapo’s son being arrested (October 2019)

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– Source: CNN

Guzmán’s father, “El Chapo,” escaped from Altiplano prison on July 11, 2015 through a The mile-long tunnel has a motorcycle on the tracks. He was then arrested and convicted in the US 4 years later on 10 counts, including participation in an ongoing criminal enterprise, drug and firearms trafficking. He was sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years and ordered to pay $12.6 billion in forfeiture.

Ovidio Guzmán was previously arrested by federal authorities in October 2019, but was released on the orders of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to avoid further bloodshed.

His most recent arrest came days before US President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited Mexico City for the North American Leaders Summit.

Arresting Guzmán could be a way for López Obrador to show the US that he is “in control of the armed forces and security situation of Mexico,” said Gladys McCormick, an associate professor at Syracuse University who focuses on Mexican-American relations, told CNN in an interview. email.

“It also reduces the power behind any request from the Biden administration to stem the tide of fentanyl and other drugs across the border,” she added.

At a news conference on Friday, López Obrador denied Guzmán’s arrest had anything to do with Biden’s arrival, saying Mexican authorities acted autonomously.

“As for interpretations, there are many interpretations, we do not share them, we act autonomously,” the Mexican president said.

After Guzmán was arrested in Culiacán on Thursday, chaos erupted in the city. Authorities asked people to seek refuge due to clashes in some areas.

Defense Minister Luis Cresencio Sandoval said his arrest was the result of a lengthy operation involving 200 special forces. Local officials urged residents to stay at home amid clashes with gang members in various parts of the city.

At least 19 suspected gang members and 10 service members were killed in violent clashes in the northern Mexican state of Sinaloa, after authorities arrested Guzmán along with 21 others. No deaths or civilian injuries have been reported.

The minister added that security at Altiplano prison has been increased since Guzmán was detained.

The president said later on Friday that the city was calmer and officials were working to clear the way.

“In Culiacán, we have opened all the blocked roads and we are working to remove vehicles from running along the streets,” said López Obrador.

The state of Sinaloa, where Culiacán is located, is home to one of the most powerful drug trafficking organizations in the world, the Sinaloa Cartel, of which “El Chapo” is the leader.

The US State Department wrote that law enforcement investigations indicated that Guzmán and his brother, Joaquín Guzmán-López, “inherited large amounts of drug proceeds” after the death of another brother, Edgar Guzmán-López.

They “started investing huge amounts of cash in buying marijuana in Mexico and cocaine in Colombia. They also began purchasing large quantities of ephedrine from Argentina and orchestrated the smuggling of the product into Mexico as they began testing methamphetamine production,” the State Department said.

The State Department said the brothers were also accused of overseeing about 11 “methamphetamine laboratories in the state of Sinaloa”.