Mexico denies immediate extradition of El Chapo’s son to U.S

Mexico’s Foreign Affairs Secretary and the president’s right-hand Marcelo Ebrard confirmed in the late hours of Thursday that Ovidio “El Ratón” Guzmán López — the son of Mexico’s famous drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán who was arrested yesterday in Culiacán, Sinaloa — won’t be extradited to the U.S. anytime soon. 

Mr. Ebrard recognized the existence of an extradition and provisional arrest request from Washington issued in September 2019, but said there are “legal procedures” that must be followed “in conformity with Mexican law.” Last December, the U.S. Department of State also offered a USD 5 million reward for information leading to Ovidio’s capture. 

Despite the White House’s interest in imposing law enforcement to dismantle the drug empire led by the “high-ranking” Chapo successor, the operation that led to his arrest on January 5 didn’t have the support of Mexico’s northern neighbor, Mr. Ebrard also stated. 

Last but not least, Marcelo Ebrard also denied that the arrest could be seen as a “gift” from Mexico to the U.S., considering that President Joe Biden is set to visit the country and meet with his counterpart Andrés Manuel “AMLO” López Obrador on January 9, prior to a North American leaders’ summit — with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Following the detention of Mr. Guzmán López, the city of Culiacán was once again turned into a warzone, with law-enforcement agents confronting heavily armed members of the Sinaloa cartel. As of today, the deaths of four security agents have been confirmed, as well as 18 people injured. More than 100 flights in Sinaloa state have been canceled. 

But unlike in 2019, when “El Ratón” was first arrested and quickly released due to fears of violent retaliation, the drug kingpin’s son is already at federal prosecution HQ in Mexico City, where prosecutors will determine his legal status.

The post Mexico denies immediate extradition of El Chapo’s son to U.S appeared first on The Brazilian Report.