The lawyers of Ovidio Guzmán, son of ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán, who was extradited to the United States last Friday, September 15, stated that the drug trafficker did not have the opportunity to appeal his transfer to Chicago, as pointed out by the president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
“Mr. Ovidio Guzmán was notified of the determination of the SRE (Secretariat of Foreign Relations) on the afternoon of September 14, and The operation to transfer him was carried out on the morning of the following September 15, without him being able to inform his defense. about said extradition determination,” Guzmán’s lawyers said in a statement published this Tuesday.
The litigants thus referred to the statements of López Obrador who on Monday assured that Ovidio’s transfer to the United States responded to a collaboration agreement with Mexico to extradite alleged criminals.
According to the Mexican ruler, after receiving the request, the SRE must authorize it and forward it to the Attorney General’s Office (FGR) and then the person who is going to be extradited is notified.
“(The accused) has the opportunity to seek protection, to go to a judge; In this case there was, as I understand, no request for protection and the extradition was carried out,” López Obrador stated.
In that sense, Guzmán’s lawyers emphasized that “there was no request for protection” because their client was not notified.
In addition, they accused that the 30-day period to challenge the Foreign Ministry’s agreement through amparo was not respected, “violating their right to an effective judicial remedy and the applicable legal framework regarding extradition.”
For this reason, he highlighted that the handover and extradition of Guzmán by the Mexican Government “was carried out outside the legal channels and disrupted his fundamental rights.”
Last Friday, the US Department of Justice confirmed the extradition of Guzmán to Chicagowhere he will be tried for crimes related to drug trafficking.
This Monday, Guzmán pleaded not guilty to the five charges of which he is accused in the Chicago District Court for drug trafficking and money laundering, US media reported.
The one also known as ‘the Mouse’ is accused of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, being part of a criminal enterprise, exporting said controlled substances to the United States, illicit use and carrying of firearms and carrying out financial transactions with the proceeds of illegal activities.
The Sinaloa Cartel, according to Washington, is the “most powerful drug trafficking group in the world” and largely responsible for the production and manufacturing of fentanyl for distribution in the United States, where this drug, considered 50 times more powerful than heroin, is “the leading cause of death among Americans ages 18 to 49.”
Guzmán and his brothers, known as the ‘Chapitos’, are also accused of “systematically” transporting tons of cocaine from and through South and Central America to the US, according to the Department of Justice.
US authorities point out that this organization has been involved in drug trafficking activities towards the US and violence for more than a decade and a half. AND
