“El Chapo” has been in US custody for years and now his son Ovidio Guzman, 33, has also been extradited. He is considered responsible for the opioid crisis in the US.
The son of Mexican drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, who was imprisoned in the United States, was extradited to the USA. The transfer of 33-year-old Ovidio Guzmán was the result of cooperation between Mexico and the US in the fight against drug cartels, said US Attorney General Merrick Garland.
Ovidio Guzmán was arrested in Culiacán, in the northwestern state of Sinaloa, in January. The son of “El Chapo” is accused of several crimes in the United States, including drug trafficking, organized crime and money laundering, as one of the leaders of the notorious Sinaloa Cartel.
Responsible for the opioid crisis
The extradition is the latest step in the Justice Department’s efforts to combat all cartel activity, Garland said. The Department will continue to hold accountable those responsible for the opioid epidemic in the United States. In the United States, the painkiller crisis has led to nearly half a million deaths over the past two decades, according to the CDC.
“El Chapo’s” wife, Emma Coronel (34), only got out of prison on Wednesday, after serving just over half of her sentence in the USA. Ovidio Guzmán’s father was one of the most powerful drug traffickers in the world until his arrest. He managed to escape from prison several times until he was extradited to the US after his last arrest in 2016 and sentenced to life in prison there in 2019. His sons then took over part of their father’s drug business.
After Ovidio Guzmán’s arrest, gang members blocked numerous streets with burning cars and fought fierce battles with the police and armed forces. According to the Ministry of Defense, 29 people died in the shooting.