Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman has been extradited to the United States.

In a short statement, the US Justice Department said Guzman is "en route to the United States to face criminal charges in connection with his leadership of the Mexican organized crime syndicate known as the 'Sinaloa Cartel.'" </s> MEXICO CITY (CBS4) – Mexico’s most notorious drug kingpin, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, was extradited to the United States Thursday to face several drug charges, including drug trafficking.

CBS News reports several senior U.S. officials confirmed the move.

The Drug Enforcement Administration took custody of Guzman in Cuidad Juarez, just across the border from El Paso, Texas, and put him on a plane bound for New York.

Guzman faces charges in several different U.S. jurisdictions, including in New York. It is likely that he will face trial in Brooklyn, but that has not been publically reported by the Department of Justice.

“The government of the Republic announces that today the Fifth Appellate Criminal Court in Mexico City ruled to deny the protection of the Federal Justice system to Joaquín Guzmán Loera against the agreements made by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on May 20, 2016 which permitted his extradition to the United States of America in order to be tried for various crimes, after finding that those agreements complied with constitutional requirements, the requirements of bilateral treaties and other legal rulings that are in effect and that his human rights were not and have not been violated by these proceedings,” the Mexican government said.

The leader of the Sinaloa cartel twice escaped from maximum-security prisons in Mexico, most recently in 2015. He was found in January and was until Thursday imprisoned in the northern Mexican border state of Chihuahua. </s> Mexican authorities on Thursday extradited drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán to the United States to face numerous charges.



In a statement, the Mexican Secretariat of Foreign Affairs said a court decided to deny Guzmán appeals and granted his extradition. The Associated Press reported that drug lord was being flown to New York.

Guzmán’s extradition had been expected for months, but it was uncertain exactly when he would be sent to the US to face drug-related crimes, including murder, assassination, and kidnapping.

New York isn’t the only state that wants him. Guzmán also faces federal charges in California, Chicago, Texas, Florida.



The drug lord gained legendary status after escaping from two Mexican prisons and was one of the world’s most wanted fugitives.

His last escape from a maximum security prison was in 2015, when he used an elaborate underground tunnel built under his cell to get out, much to the embarrassment of the Mexican government. In 2001, he fled Puente Grande prison, where he had been incarcerated since 1993.

Guzmán, who grew up poor in Sinaloa, Mexico, worked his way up Mexican criminal organizations and became known for his violent business practices. Eventually he headed the Sinaloa Cartel and was considered the most powerful drug kingpin in the world.

Guzmán was captured in a January 2016 raid led by Mexican Marines. A day after the raid, it was revealed that actor Sean Penn had traveled to Mexico to interview Guzmán for a Rolling Stone piece.

The meeting “was an essential element, because we were following [Guzmán’s] lawyer, and the lawyer took us to these people and to this meeting,” Mexican Attorney General Arely Gomez told local radio.

Mexican actor Kate del Castillo, who had corresponded with Guzmán and expressed interest in making a biopic about him, helped broker the meeting between the cartel leader and Penn.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates and follow BuzzFeed News on Twitter. </s> Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán, the infamous Mexican drug lord, was extradited to the U.S., where he faces six indictments for crimes including drug trafficking, homicide and money laundering.

Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, the Mexican drug lord who evaded U.S. authorities for years and built a billion-dollar narcotics empire, is expected to make his first appearance in a U.S. courtroom on Friday.

Mr. Guzmán, who successfully escaped twice from maximum-security prisons in Mexico, was extradited to the U.S. late Thursday. His arrival came as a surprise to many, even to U.S. officials, who said Friday that they didn't know he... </s> (NBC) Mexico’s government says it has extradited drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman to the United States.

 The infamous drug kingpin was recaptured last January after tunneling out of a maximum security Mexican prison.

A U.S. official told NBC News that Guzman was being flown to the New York by Mexican authorities.

“El Chapo” is wanted in the U.S. on drug trafficking and other charges.

The convicted boss of the Sinaloa Cartel was held most recently in a prison near the border city of Ciudad Juarez near El Paso. </s> Mexican drug lord 'El Chapo' being extradited to the U.S.

Infamous Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman is being extradited to the United States.

A spokesman for the Mexican Attorney General confirmed the extradition to ABC News Thursday. The spokesperson would not confirm where in the U.S. El Chapo was being transported.

El Chapo was recaptured last year after he escaped Mexican prison for the third time. He spent six months on the run. </s> Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman has been extradited to the United States, according to a statement by the Mexican Foreign Ministry.

Mexican authorities had planned to turn Guzman, head of the Sinaloa cartel, over before Friday’s inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump, a US official told CNN’s Evan Perez.

Guzman and other cartel leaders were indicted in 2009 in US District Court in Brooklyn, New York, on charges of conspiring to import more than 264,000 pounds of cocaine into the United States between 1990 and 2005. The alleged traffickers are accused of sharing drug transportation routes and obtaining their drugs from various Colombian drug organizations.

Guzman also faces charges in Arizona, California, Texas, Illinois, New York, Florida and New Hampshire.

Check back for updates on this developing story.

Here’s a look at the life of Joaquín Guzmán, otherwise known as “El Chapo,” a Mexican drug lord who has repeatedly broken out of prison, and has been extradited to the United States to stand trial on federal charges.

Marriages: Believed to have been married at least three times, the most recent being Emma Coronel Aispuro (2007-present)

Children: Is purported to have fathered between 12 and 13 children

Leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, which the US Justice Department describes as “one of the world’s most prolific, violent and powerful drug cartels,” moving billions upon billions of dollars in marijuana, cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine.

Was able to continue running the Sinaloa Cartel in prison through bribes.

The Sinaloa Cartel controls roughly 40% to 60% of Mexico’s drug trade, with earnings at around $3 billion annually.

Claimed in 2014 that he has killed 2,000-3,000 people.

Is said to be semi-illiterate, receiving no formal education beyond third grade.

Is known for using intricate tunnel systems for both evading authorities and moving the massive quantities of drugs that made the Sinaloa Cartel so powerful.

His cartel has produced, smuggled and distributed marijuana, heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine and other types of drugs.

Has appeared on both Forbes’ World’s Billionaires List and Most Powerful People List.

According to the US Treasury Department, he is the most “powerful drug trafficker in the world.”

Guzmán is perceived by some as a hero, with many narcocorridos, “drug ballads,” that glorify kingpins, written in his honor.

Guzmán faces charges in 10 legal cases in Mexico, as well as federal charges in Arizona, California, Texas, Illinois, New York, Florida and New Hampshire.

1970s – Begins running drugs to major Mexican cities and the US border and working with major drug traffickers such as Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo, leader of the Guadalajara.

1980s – Member of the Guadalajara Cartel. After the arrest of Miguel Ángel Felix Gallardo, the cartel splits into factions. Guzmán becomes leader of the Sinaloa Cartel Pacific coast faction.

February 1992 – Police find the bodies of six Guzmán’s top lieutenants dumped along Tijuana highways; the six men had been tortured and shot.

November 1992 – Six people are gunned down at a discotheque in Puerto Vallarta by gunmen working for Guzmán, whose targets are traffickers in the Tijuana Cartel.

May 1993 – Gunmen with the Tijuana Cartel attempt to assassinate Guzmán in retribution, firing upon a vehicle at an airport. Guzmán escapes unharmed, but Cardinal Archbishop of Guadalajara Juan Jesús Posadas Ocampa, is killed accidentally, along with six others.

June 9, 1993 – Wanted on charges of drug trafficking, murder and kidnapping, he is arrested in Guatemala and extradited to Mexico. Guzmán is subsequently sentenced to a minimum of 20 years in a maximum security prison.

Early 2000s – Violence across Mexico escalates as El Chapo’s Sinaloa Cartel attempts to encroach upon Tijuana and Gulf Cartel territory.

January 19, 2001 – Escapes the maximum-security Puente Grande prison in Jalisco, Mexico, in a laundry cart. The planned escape requires bribes and cooperation allegedly costing him $2.5 million, according to Malcolm Beith’s book, “The Last Narco.”

2004 – The US government announces a $5 million reward for information leading to Guzmán’s arrest and conviction.

May 2008 – Guzmán’s son is murdered in a parking lot shootout near Culican, Mexico.

2009 – Guzmán and other cartel leaders are indicted on charges of conspiring to import more than 264,000 pounds of cocaine into the United States between 1990 and 2005.

August 2011 – Guzmán’s wife, Emma, who has dual US-Mexican citizenship, gives birth to twin girls in a hospital outside of Los Angeles.

2012 – The US Treasury Department uses the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act to freeze the US assets of his relatives.

February 22, 2014 – Guzmán is apprehended at a beach resort in Mazatlán, Mexico.

July 11, 2015 – Escapes the maximum-security Altiplano Federal Prison near Toluca, Mexico, by crawling through an opening in the shower area of his cell block leading to a nearly mile-long tunnel.

October 2015 – While on the run, he meets with movie star Sean Penn and Mexican actress Kate del Castillo. Penn’s interview with Guzmán subsequently runs in Rolling Stone magazine. “I supply more heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine and marijuana than anybody else in the world,” Guzmán is quoted in the interview. “I have a fleet of submarines, airplanes, trucks and boats.”

January 8, 2016 – Guzmán is recaptured by Mexican authorities in Los Mochis, Sinaloa, after a raid leads to a shootout in which five people connected to Guzmán are killed.

May 9, 2016 – A judge in Mexico approves the US’s request to extradite Guzmán, who faces charges in seven states. Once extradited, he will be sent to Brooklyn, New York, to stand trial on federal charges. </s> Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman will be rest of his life behind bars. A judge sentenced the drug lord to life in prison plus 30 years in federal court in Brooklyn, New York on Wednesday.

Related: UPDATE: Got To Be Kidding: El Chapo Just Went For The Three-Peat

He has also been ordered to pay $12.6 billion in forfeiture. Guzman, 62, was convicted in February by a jury of all 10 counts he faced, including engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise and drug trafficking charges, among others.

Prosecutors have called him a “ruthless and bloodthirsty leader” of the Sinaloa cartel and are seeking a life sentence. Witnesses during the trial testified that Guzman ordered and sometimes took part in the torture and murder of perceived cartel enemies.

Mexican Drug Lord El Chapo Sentenced to Life Behind Bars was originally published on wolbbaltimore.com </s> Three months ago, Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán began his trial in the United States on federal drug conspiracy. Today (Feb. 12) in Brooklyn, a jury decided the fate of the Mexican drug cartel kingpin. El Chapo has been found guilty of all 10 charges after six days of deliberations in federal court.

The prosecutors accused El Chapo of trafficking large amounts of drugs such as heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana into the United States as the leader of the Sinaloa Cartel.

All jurors, four men and eight women remained anonymous for their protection. When signing documents, they were to write their juror number instead of their name.

The trial had called over 50 key witnesses by the prosecution which all described Guzman's life along with the brutal murders, his journey in the secret tunnels and details on the plastic bananas filled with cocaine.

In 2015, Guzman escaped twice from Mexican prison with the most recent escape in 2015 where he was recaptured in 2016 and extradited to the United States in 2017.

Now the 61-year-old faces a possibility of life in prison.
Mexican drug lord Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán is extradited to the United States, where he will face charges for his role as leader of the Sinaloa Cartel.