Mexico extradites key lieutenant of drug kingpin ‘El Chapo’ to U.S.

MEXICO CITY, (Reuters) - Mexico day extradited to the United States a senior lieutenant of the Sinaloa Cartel drug gang formerly headed by Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, the attorney general’s office said.

Damaso Lopez, known as “The Graduate” because of his higher education studies, was a former security official in Sinaloa state who rose to become one of the leaders of the cartel, authorities say. He was arrested in Mexico City last year.

Mexico’s acting attorney general, Alberto Elias Beltran, said Lopez was seen as an important witness in the case against Guzman, who was extradited to the United States in January 2017 to face drug trafficking and conspiracy charges.

Guzman’s trial is expected to begin later this year.

Lopez, 52, arrived in the United States yesterday and is scheduled to make an initial appearance on Monday in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, the U.S. Justice Department said in a statement.

“He’s a key person as much for the United States government as for the Mexican government,” Beltran told a local radio program. “We can bring to a good conclusion the process the United States is carrying out against” Guzman.

At the time of Lopez’s arrest in May 2017, Mexican officials said he was believed to have been seeking an alliance with Guzman’s rival, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.

Lopez had played a role in orchestrating Guzman’s escape from prison in 2001 before joining the notorious crime group, officials have said.

U.S. President Donald Trump has made security at the southern border an administration priority, arguing his plan to build a U.S.-Mexico border wall would stem the flow of drugs into the United States.