- Title: El Chapo's lawyer seeks legal reprieve for kingpin's U.S. extradition
- Date: 20th May 2016
- Summary: MEXICO CITY, MEXICO (MAY 20, 2016) (REUTERS) GUZMAN'S LAWYER, JUAN PABLO BADILLO, WALKING IN PARK VARIOUS OF BADILLO DURING REUTERS INTERVIEW (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) GUZMAN'S LAWYER JUAN PABLO BADILLO, SAYING: "It's something that has been expected given the conditions. The one thing that should be clear is that at this moment there can't be an express, fast track extradition. There are legal terms which need to be exhausted first." VARIOUS OF INTERVIEW WITH BADILLO (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) GUZMAN'S LAWYER JUAN PABLO BADILLO, SAYING: "My defendant, Joaquin Archivaldo Guzman Loera, if it were his wish, this extradition... That is to say, he, being aware of the extradition, that would be the point of reference for the action to be carried out."
- Embargoed: 4th June 2016 23:42
- Keywords: Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman extradition lawyer Mexico Sinaloa Cartel drugs United States
- Location: MEXICO CITY, CIUDAD JUAREZ, CHIHUAHUA, MEXICO
- City: MEXICO CITY, CIUDAD JUAREZ, CHIHUAHUA, MEXICO
- Country: Mexico
- Topics: Crime
- Reuters ID: LVA0024IM7BK3
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:The lawyer for kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman told Reuters on Friday (May 20) that he will exhaust all legal avenues for his client to stave off the U.S. extradition of the infamous head of the Sinaloa Cartel.
Mexico approved the extradition of drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman to the United States on Friday (May 20) after receiving guarantees he would not face the death penalty.
Mexico's foreign ministry said he would face charges including drug trafficking, money laundering and murder in U.S. federal courts in California and Texas. The ministry said it was given "sufficient guarantees" by the U.S. government that Guzman would not be executed. It was not immediately clear where Guzman would be sent in the United States.
But Guzman's lawyer, Juan Pablo Badillo, said there are many legal avenues to be exhausted before his client is extradited to the United States.
"It's something that has been expected given the conditions. The one thing that should be clear is that at this moment there can't be an express, fast track extradition. There are legal terms which need to be exhausted first," he said.
Guzman, head of the Sinaloa drug cartel, was the world's most wanted drug kingpin until his capture in January, six months after he broke out of a high-security penitentiary in central Mexico through a mile-long tunnel burrowed right up into his cell.
After his recapture, Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto reported he had taken steps to ensure the kingpin would be extradited as soon as possible.
But Guzman's lawyer told Reuters his client is against the move.
"My defendant, Joaquin Archivaldo Guzman Loera, if it were his wish, this extradition... That is to say, he, being aware of the extradition, that would be the point of reference for the action to be carried out," added Badillo.
Guzman, whose nickname means "Shorty", first escaped prison in 2001 by bribing prison officials, and went on to dominate the world of Mexican drug trafficking.
He was recaptured by Pena Nieto's government in 2014 but escaped in July by capitalizing on the drug-tunnelling skills his cartel honed on the U.S. border.
A mile-long tunnel equipped with electric lights, rails and a motorbike came out directly into the shower of his prison cell and he simply slipped away.
Dozens of people were arrested over the jailbreak, though details of who Guzman bribed and how his accomplices knew exactly where to dig into the prison remain scarce.
With Chapo back behind bars, his more discreet partner, Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, who jointly heads the powerful Sinaloa cartel, is the last major Mexican capo standing. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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