Washington (ANI): Ovidio Guzman Lopez, son of Mexican drug lord Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman, has been extradited to the United States, according to the US Justice Department. Garland praised United States and Mexican law enforcement and military service members for their fight against the cartels. He said, “The fight against the cartels has involved incredible courage by United States law enforcement and Mexican law enforcement and military service members, many of whom have given their lives in the pursuit of justice.” He added, “I am grateful to them and the Department’s prosecutors for their work and their sacrifice. I am also grateful to our Mexican government counterparts for this extradition. The Department of Justice will hold those responsible for fueling the opioid epidemic accountable.” Will continue to accommodate.” That has devastated many communities across the country.” Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph D. Fitzpatrick of the Northern District of Illinois said Guzmán was flown to Chicago and landed Friday afternoon, CNN reported. Guzmán was handed over to Mexican authorities. Guzmán was arrested in January this year after a dramatic operation in the northern state of Sinaloa that left 29 people dead, and has been in custody since then. Earlier, Guzmán was arrested in October 2019, CNN reported. However, he was released following orders from Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to avoid bloodshed and subsequently went into hiding until his arrest in 2023. His extradition follows the release of El Chapo’s wife Emma Coronel Aispuro from a US prison on Wednesday. He had served nearly two years in prison on drug trafficking and money laundering charges, CNN reports. The U.S. State Department believes Guzman and his brother, Joaquin Guzman-Lopez, were arrested in another The brother “inherited a large portion of the narcotics proceeds” after Edgar Guzmán-López’s death. In 2015, Guzmán’s father, “El Chapo”, escaped from Altiplano prison through a tunnel with tracks visible on a motorcycle, CNN reported. He was later captured and convicted in the US on 10 counts, including engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise, drug trafficking and firearms charges. He was sentenced to life imprisonment plus more than 30 years and ordered to pay a fine of US$12.6 billion. (ANI)
