El Chapo is arguably one of the most notorious drug traffickers the world has ever seen. After escaping from prison countless times, the drug cartel may be facing extradition to the Unites States early next year.
According to The Wrap, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman may be facing his crimes in United States court very soon. A Mexican official told TV station Televisa that “El Chapo” would in fact be extradited to the U.S. in early 2017.
Renato Sales, the country’s national security commissioner, told Televisa that Guzman could be moved in “January or February.”
The site reports that in May, the Mexican government cleared Guzman’s extradition, where he will face charges of conspiracy to import and distribute cocaine and marijuana, money laundering, arms possession and murder, from seven U.S. federal prosecutors.
Mexico agreed to extradite the head of the Sinaloa Cartel after receiving assurances that Guzman will not be given the death penalty.
After Guzman managed to escape twice from prisons in Mexico pressure mounted on the Mexican government to extradite the drug lord. His first escape was in 2001 with the help of compromised guards that wheeled him out in a laundry cart. His second escape occurred in July 2015 when he left his cell through a tunnel drilled from his shower to his house about a mile away.
With his most recent jailbreak, Guzman was captured during a raid in early January. His October 2015 Rolling Stone interview with Sean Penn and Mexican actress Kate Del Castillo where he bragged about his conquests in the drug industry led to his capture.
According to Latina, Jose Refugio Rodriguez, one of El Chapo’s lawyers, said too many appeals are pending for extradition to take place that quickly.
"That's not enough time," Refugio said, saying that the only way to send his client to the U.S. by early 2017 would be "to take him out of jail by force."
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