Ovidio Guzman, the son of imprisoned drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, has been requested for extradition to the United States so that he can face criminal charges in a U.S. court, according to two Mexican government officials.
In January, the younger Guzman, wanted on drug trafficking charges, was captured by the Mexican security forces after a fierce battle near Culiacan, in the northern Sinaloa state, the longtime base for his father's still powerful drug-smuggling empire.
Several people died in a wave of violence that began after the arrest in January. "El Chapo" rose to power as the head of the Sinaloa Cartel, before he was extradited to the United States in 2017, Reuters reported.
Ovidio was detained by soldiers in 2019, but he was soon released because his arrest caused a significant influx of armed men into Culiacan.
The failed operation was a political embarrassment at the time to Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.
The U.S. State Department announced a $5 million reward in 2021 for information that would result in Ovidio's capture or conviction. Ovidio has been charged in the U.S. with conspiracy to traffic cocaine, methamphetamine, and marijuana into the country.
Ovidio Guzmán López is a Mexican drug lord and high-ranking member of the Sinaloa Cartel, a criminal group based in the state of Sinaloa. He is the son of infamous drug lord Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, once considered Mexico's most-wanted drug lord and the world's most-wanted criminal.
Guzmán López was suspected of being a leader within a Sinaloa Cartel faction often referred to as Los Chapitos, Los Menores, and/or Los Juniors. He was captured on Jan. 5, 2023, and remanded to Federal Social Readaptation Center No. 1.
The Sinaloa Cartel also known as the CDS, the Guzmán-Zambada Organization, the Pacific Cartel, the Federation, and the Blood Alliance, is a large, international organized crime syndicate that specializes in illegal drug trafficking and money laundering.
It was established in Mexico during the late 1980s as one of various subordinate "plazas" operating under a predecessor organization known as the Guadalajara Cartel.
It is currently headed by Ismael Zambada García and is based in the city of Culiacán, Sinaloa, with operations in many world regions but primarily in the Mexican states of Sinaloa, Baja California, Durango, Sonora, and Chihuahua.
It also has a notable presence in a number of other regions in Latin America, such as Colombia; as well as in cities across the U.S.
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