Extradite drug lord–Washington
MEXICO CITY—US authorities announced plans to seek the extradition ofMexico’s most powerful drug lord after his capture in a USbacked operation that included a drone, cell phone intercepts and elite Mexican Marines.
Robert Nardoza, a spokesperson for the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, said prosecutors there “plan to seek his extradition.”
A senior Republican lawmaker backed extraditing Sinaloa cartel boss Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman to the United States, warning “the biggest fish ever” may try to flee again in a repeat of his legendary 2001 escape from prison in a laundry basket.
“I think that would be the best course for not only Mexico, but also the United States, in ensuring that what happened in 2001 does not happen again,” Michael McCaul, chair of the House Homeland Security Committee, told ABC television.
A Mexican foreign ministry spokesperson declined to comment on the planned extradition request.
As prosecutors in New York prepared their request, new details emerged on Sunday from the manhunt that led to the capture of Guzman, whose empire has smuggled drugs to the United States, Europe and Asia.
The US surveillance drone was used for two weeks between mid-January and mid-February to back up a massive operation in the northwestern city of Culiacan.