The son of the notorious Mexican drug lord 'El Chapo', who is accused of ordering the killing of a famous singer after they refused to perform at his wedding, has been extradited to the US on drugs charges.
Ovidio Guzman Lopez, son of the former Sinaloa cartel leader who himself is in a US jail, will be taken to the United States to face drug trafficking, money laundering and other charges, US attorney general Merrick Garland said.
Mexican security forces captured Guzman Lopez, alias "the Mouse," in January in Culiacan, capital of Sinaloa state, the cartel's namesake.
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It come after he allegedly ordered the killing of a famous Mexican singer, who has yet to be named, for turning down the opportunity to perform on his special day in 2021.
It has not been revealed whether or not the killing was actually carried out, but what is for sure is that Ovidio will have his day in court for his alleged role in flooding the US with narcotics.
"This action is the most recent step in the Justice Department's effort to attack every aspect of the cartel's operations," Mr Garland said.
Three years before his January arrest, the government had tried to capture him but aborted the operation after his cartel allies set off a wave of violence in Culiacan.
January's arrest set off similar violence that killed 30 people in Culiacan, including 10 military personnel.
The army used Black Hawk helicopter gunships against the cartel's truck-mounted .50-calibre machine guns.
Cartel gunmen hit two military aircraft forcing them to land and sent gunmen to the city's airport where military and civilian aircraft were hit by gunfire.
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The capture came just days before US president Joe Biden visited Mexico for bilateral talks followed by the North American Leaders' Summit.
On Friday (September 15), Mr Garland recognised the law enforcement and military members who had given their lives in the US and Mexico.
"The Justice Department will continue to hold accountable those responsible for fuelling the opioid epidemic that has devastated too many communities across the country," he said.
Mike Vigil, former head of international operations for the Drug Enforcement Administration, said he believed the Mexican government facilitated the extradition, because for someone of Guzman Lopez's high profile it usually takes at least two years to win extradition as lawyers make numerous filings as a delaying tactic.
"This happened quicker than normal," Mr Vigil said, noting that some conservative members of the US Congress had raised the idea of US military intervention if Mexico did not do more to stop the flow of drugs.
Mr Vigil dismissed that idea as "political theatre" but suggested it added pressure on Mexico to act.
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