Mexico extradites son of Sinaloa Cartel leader ‘El Chapo’ to US

By Jorge Antonio Rocha

MEXICO CITY(AA) - Ovidio Guzman Lopez, the son of Sinaloa Cartel leader Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, was reportedly handed over Friday to Interpol agents by Mexican authorities to be extradited to the US.

Mexican and US media reports said Guzman Lopez left the El Altiplano maximum security prison in a helicopter, accompanied by seven Interpol agents.

Guzman Lopez is wanted by the US for smuggling fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine and marihuana.

The US filed an extradition request for Guzman Lopez in 2019 following a failed arrest by Mexican authorities.

Guzman Lopez is the son of El Chapo, former leader of the Sinaloa Cartel who is serving a life sentence in the US.

Guzman Lopez was one of the heads of the Chapitos, a faction of his father's cartel he ran with his three brothers.

The Chapitos have a big part in the fentanyl distribution business in the US, according to American authorities.

The extradition of the underboss had been pending for four years when Mexico arrested Guzman Lopez in Culiacan in 2019.

His arrest ignited a wave of violence as allies began ravaging the northwestern Mexican city. Roadblocks, shootings, and direct attacks on families of Mexican military personnel prompted a confrontation between the army and Sinaloa Cartel gunmen. The violence resulted in President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador ordering his release.

Guzman Lopez would be arrested again in January, with Mexican authorities denying his fast-track extradition to the US.