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Mexico City
Ovidio Guzman, the son of Mexican drug lord El Chapo, has been extradited to the United States where he is wanted for fentanyl trafficking charges, Mexican and American authorities said on Friday (September 15). In a statement, US Attorney General Merrick Garland said Ovidio's extradition was the latest step in US efforts to attack "every aspect" of the drug trafficking operations run by the Sinaloa Cartel long associated with the Guzman family.
"I am also grateful to our Mexican government counterparts for this extradition," Attorney General Garland said, adding the Justice Department would continue to hold accountable those responsible for fueling the opioid epidemic that has devastated too many communities across the country.
Guzman was arrested first in 2019 in Culiacan but was released on the orders of the government to avoid bloodshed after the Sinaloa cartel retaliated. He was again captured in January this year following an intense firefight in Sinaloa.
US asked for Guzman's extradition in Feb
The Joe Biden administration had asked for Guzman's extradition in February so he could face drug charges in a US court. Guzman and his brothers allegedly controlled extensive international operations in the fentanyl trade, reaping hundreds of millions of dollars in profits by "flooding" the United States with the deadly opioid, US court documents showed.
El Chapo's wife released from US, will not face charges in Mexico
El Chapo's wife Emma Coronel, who was released from a US federal institution on Wednesday, will not face any charges in Mexico. Coronel was sentenced to three years in prison in 2021 after pleading guilty to helping the Sinaloa Cartel, including conspiracy to launder money and distribute illegal drugs and engaging in financial dealings.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons confirmed she had been released on Wednesday from a low-security confinement institution in Los Angeles.
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