Ovidio Guzman, El Chapo's son, escapes extradition again

A judge in Mexico has, for the second time, issued a provisional suspension to prevent his immediate transfer to the United States. The next hearing is scheduled for January 24.

Published by

Verónica Silveri Pazos

19 de enero, 2023

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The extradition to the United States of drug trafficker Ovidio Guzmán - son of Mexican drug lord Joaquín El Chapo Guzmán - was provisionally suspended for the second time on Wednesday, after a federal judge granted the measure to prevent his immediate transfer.

Guzman, nicknamed El Raton, is wanted by a court in the District of Columbia. He is charged with drug trafficking and conspiracy to distribute cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana.

El Chapo' s son was captured on January 5 in the state of Sinaloa, following an operation by the Armed Forces that left 29 dead, 10 of them military personnel, and violent disturbances across the region.

Can still be extradited

The provisional suspension was granted by Alfonso Alexander Lopez, head of the Fifth District Court for Amparo, and Federal Lawsuits in the State of Mexico, the suspension will remain in effect until a possible definitive suspension is granted.

However, although the immediate extradition was stopped, this does not mean that the procedure is cancelled. Guzman's next hearing is scheduled for January 24, where another judge will determine whether or not to validate the transfer .

In the meantime, Guzmán will remain incarcerated in the Altiplano prison, located in Almoloya de Juárez, State of Mexico, where his father, who escaped from there in 2015, was also held.

El Chapo' wants to return to Mexico

The halt to the extradition comes just after his father - ElChapo - appealed to Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador through his lawyers to assist in facilitating his return to a Mexican prison.

The drug lord denounced the "psychological torment" he claims to suffer in the US prison, where he is serving a life sentence. According to his lawyer José Refugio Rodríguez:

In the six years that Joaquín has been in the United States, he has not seen the sun. The food is of very poor quality, there is no health; he was sick with molars and instead of curing them, they took them out so that he would not be bothered.

The Mexican embassy in the United States confirmed that it received an e-mail from Rodriguez on January 10.

For his part, López Obrador assured in his daily press conference that he does not rule out supporting their request for help:

When it comes to human rights, there are ways and there are international instances, so it is not to be discarded because the main human right is the right to life, so this right must be guaranteed to any person.