Ovidio Guzman Lopez, the son of notorious drug lord El Chapo, has been extradited from Mexico to the United States to face drug-related charges. He arrived in Chicago on September 15, where he is set to confront accusations of smuggling significant quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl across the border into the U.S.
The drug lord, known as 'the Mouse,' is now in the custody of U.S. authorities as he awaits trial, announced U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland. Garland emphasized that this extradition is part of the Justice Department's ongoing efforts to disrupt all facets of the cartel's operations.
Notably, the Mexican government has not yet responded to requests for comment regarding this extradition. Guzmán López's capture took place in January in Culiacan, the capital of Sinaloa state, which shares its name with the notorious cartel.
Three years prior, the Mexican government had attempted to apprehend him, but the operation was abandoned due to a violent backlash by cartel allies in Culiacan.
The January arrest also resulted in violence, leading to the deaths of 30 individuals in Culiacan, including 10 military personnel. The army even deployed Black Hawk helicopter gunships to counter the cartel's truck-mounted .50-caliber machine guns.
Cartel gunmen targeted two military aircraft, forcing them to make emergency landings, and assaulted the city's airport, where both military and civilian aircraft suffered damage from gunfire.
Guzmán López's capture occurred shortly before U.S. President Joe Biden's visit to Mexico for bilateral talks and the North American Leaders' Summit.
On the day of the extradition, Attorney General Garland paid tribute to the law enforcement and military personnel who sacrificed their lives in the United States and Mexico. He reiterated the Justice Department's commitment to holding those accountable who have contributed to the opioid epidemic that has ravaged communities across the nation.
Back in April, U.S. prosecutors revealed extensive indictments against Guzmán and his brothers, collectively known as the 'Chapitos.'
The indictments detailed how, following their father's extradition and subsequent life sentence in the U.S., the brothers shifted the cartel's focus towards synthetic drugs such as methamphetamine and the potent synthetic opioid fentanyl.
El Chapo himself was convicted of drug-related charges in 2019 and sentenced to spend his life in the high-security ADX Supermax prison in Florence, Colorado. His ex-girlfriend, Emma Coronel, was recently released from a halfway house.
The unsealed indictment in Manhattan outlined the brothers' objective to produce substantial quantities of fentanyl and sell it at exceptionally low prices.
Fentanyl's low production cost allows the cartel to generate substantial profits even when wholesaling the drug for as little as 50 cents per pill, according to prosecutors.
The brothers, however, have denied these allegations in a letter.
In another news, a Bronx resident has been handed a 15-year to life prison sentence for the fatal shooting of a 16-year-old high-achieving student known for her academic excellence. See detailed story here
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