El Chapo’s son extradited from Mexico to the US, Justice Department says

Ovidio Guzman Lopez, son of Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, has been extradited from Mexico to the United States, the US Department of Justice has announced.

The extradition was a “result of United States and Mexico law enforcement cooperation,” Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in a statement Friday that referred to Guzman as a “leader of the Sinaloa Cartel.”

“This action is the most recent step in the Justice Department’s effort to attack every aspect of the cartel’s operations,” Garland added.

An initial court appearance hasn’t been set, but the US Attorney’s office expects it to happen on Monday, he said.

CNN is looking to identify Guzman’s attorney for comment.

uzman was arrested by Mexican authorities in January of this year following a dramatic operation in the northern state of Sinaloa that led to 29 deaths and has been in custody since then. The US has been seeking his extradition for drug trafficking.

Following his arrest in Culiacán, chaos erupted in the city with authorities asking citizens to shelter at home as law enforcement clashed with cartel members in various parts of the city.

At least 19 suspected gang members and 10 military personnel died during those clashes. No civilian deaths or injuries were reported.

Guzman had previously been arrested in October 2019, but was released on the orders of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to avoid bloodshed, and subsequently went into hiding until his arrest in 2023.

His extradition follows the release from a US prison of Emma Coronel Aispuro, El Chapo’s wife, on Wednesday. She had served nearly two years for drug trafficking and money laundering charges.