Attorney General Garland announces Mexico’s extradition of ‘El Chapo’ son to the United States.

MEXICO CITY — Mexico extradited Ovidio Guzmán López, a son of former Sinaloa cartel leader Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzmán, to the United States on Friday to face drug trafficking charges, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.

Garland stated that this move is the latest measure taken by the Justice Department to target all aspects of the cartel’s activities.

The requests for comment were not immediately responded to by the Mexican government.

In January, the Mexican security forces apprehended Guzmán López, also known as “the Mouse,” in Culiacan, which is the capital of Sinaloa state, the same name as the cartel.

The government had made an attempt to apprehend him three years ago, but they called off the mission when his cartel associates triggered a surge of violence in Culiacan.

The arrest in January triggered comparable violence resulting in the deaths of 30 individuals in Culiacan, including 10 members of the military.

The military employed Black Hawk helicopters to counter the cartel’s truck-mounted .50-caliber machine guns. The cartel’s gunmen successfully struck two military aircraft, causing them to make emergency landings. Additionally, they targeted the city’s airport, where both military and civilian planes were subjected to gunfire.

The capture came just days before U.S. President Joe Biden visited Mexico for bilateral talks followed by the North American Leaders’ Summit.

In April, the “Chapitos,” a group consisting of Guzmán and his brothers, were charged by U.S. prosecutors. The indictments revealed that after their father’s extradition and subsequent imprisonment in the U.S., the brothers took control of the cartel and focused more on producing synthetic drugs such as methamphetamine and the potent synthetic opioid fentanyl.

The recently revealed indictment in Manhattan stated that their objective was to manufacture large amounts of fentanyl and distribute it at the most affordable rate. Prosecutors mentioned that fentanyl is produced at such a low cost that the cartel earns substantial profits, even when selling the drug at a mere 50 cents per pill.

The Chapitos gained notoriety for their extreme brutality, which seemed to exceed the limits of self-control exhibited by previous cartel leaders.

Fentanyl is now a major concern in the security partnership between the two countries. However, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has refuted claims made by both the U.S. government and his own military regarding fentanyl production in Mexico. Instead, he characterizes Mexico as a transit location for precursors originating from China and destined for the U.S.

López Obrador attributes the high levels of drug addiction in the U.S. to a decline in family values.