Mexico drug lord 'El Chapo' arrives in US to face criminal charges
Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, Mexico’s most notorious drug lord, has been extradited to the United States to face multiple court trials after twice escaping from maximum-security prisons in his country.
Guzman arrived in the US city of New York late Thursday, said a federal law enforcement official.
The boss of the powerful Sinaloa drug cartel is to stand trial in a federal courthouse in Brooklyn on Friday.
He is accused of running a massive drug operation that employed thousands of people, laundered billions of dollars in profits back to Mexico and used hitmen to carry out murders, kidnappings and acts of torture.
After his trial in New York, Guzman faces more criminal charges in five other US cities, including San Diego, Chicago and Miami.
If convicted, the kingpin could face life in prison in the US.
In Mexico, Guzman, who is around 60, had managed to escape from prison twice.
His first prison break was in 2001, when he got out of the jail in the western Jalisco state by hiding in a laundry cart.
Guzman’s second escape took place in the summer of 2015.
He fled from his cell at the Altiplano jail, which is Mexico's highest-security facility, despite reportedly wearing an electronic monitoring bracelet, with surveillance cameras recording his jail cell 24 hours a day.
In fall 2015, Guzman participated in an interview in a secret location with actors Sean Penn and Kate del Castillo.
In that interview, according to Penn, Guzman justified his heinous criminal activities throughout his life by saying he joined the criminal community as a teenager simply as a means to escape poverty.
"The only way to have money to buy food, to survive, is to grow poppy, marijuana, and at that age, I began to grow it, to cultivate it and to sell it," Penn quoted Guzman as saying.
Some analysts believe the West is running the international drug trade.
Israeli-US estate tycoon brothers charged with decade-long sex trafficking
US, Canadian universities hire Israeli firms to curb pro-Palestinian protests, report says
US nuclear spending cause for concern
Leader: Iran has no proxy forces in West Asia
US fighter aircraft shot down ‘in friendly fire’ amid aggression on Yemen
Yemeni FM: Israel’s sponsors accountable for ongoing aggression on Sana’a
Eight Palestinians killed as Israel attacks Gaza school, hospitals
VIDEO | Rome, Milan host new protests in solidarity with Palestinians
Dec. 21: ‘Axis of Resistance’ operations against Israeli occupation
Spain jurists demand ties with Israel ties be cut
VIDEO | Press TV's news headlines
PressTV NEWSLETTER
now
This makes it easy to access the Press TV website
