Ovidio Guzman, the son of imprisoned Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, has been extradited to the United States to face fentanyl trafficking charges. This move is seen as a significant step in the Biden administration’s efforts to combat the deadly opioid crisis. U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland expressed gratitude to the Mexican government for facilitating the extradition, stating that the Justice Department will continue to hold accountable those responsible for fueling the opioid epidemic.
Guzman, who is 33 years old, was one of the heirs to his father’s notorious drug empire. In 2019, he was briefly arrested in Culiacan but was released to avoid bloodshed when his cartel retaliated. He was subsequently captured in January after a fierce firefight in the state of Sinaloa.
U.S. officials have identified Guzman and his brothers as key figures in the fentanyl trade, a highly addictive opioid that claims the lives of nearly 200 Americans daily. The alarming death toll has placed immense pressure on the Biden administration and strained relations between the U.S. and Mexico. In February, the U.S. government requested Guzman’s extradition so he could face drug charges in an American court.
Extradition proceedings for prominent Mexican drug traffickers typically take years. However, Guzman’s removal was expedited, even faster than his father’s extradition, who was flown to the U.S. just a year after his final arrest in Sinaloa in 2016. Reports from Mexican media outlets, including Milenio, indicated that Guzman had been transferred from a maximum-security prison in central Mexico to be flown across the border.
According to U.S. court documents, Guzman and his brothers allegedly controlled extensive international operations in the fentanyl trade, generating hundreds of millions of dollars in profits by flooding the United States with the drug. Their involvement in the synthetic opioid, which is 50 times more potent than heroin, has contributed to the intensification of the opioid epidemic, making them prime targets for U.S. anti-narcotics agents.
The U.S. State Department has offered a substantial reward for information leading to the arrest or conviction of Ovidio Guzman and his three brothers. Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, Ovidio’s father, gained notoriety as the leader of the Sinaloa Cartel. He was extradited to the United States in 2017 after escaping from prison in Mexico twice. Currently, he is held in a high-security “Supermax” facility in Colorado.
The extradition of Ovidio Guzman marks a significant victory in the fight against drug trafficking and the opioid crisis. The Biden administration’s commitment to addressing this issue is evident in their efforts to hold accountable those responsible for the devastation caused by these deadly drugs. With Guzman now in U.S. custody, the hope is that justice will be served and further steps can be taken to curb the spread of fentanyl and save lives.
Original Story at www.reuters.com – 2023-09-16 06:04:11
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