Thursday, November 21, 2024

Ovidio Guzmán denies he’s the son of ‘El Chapo’

Ovidio Guzmán – an alleged Sinaloa Cartel leader arrested in January — claimed on Tuesday that he is not the son of imprisoned drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán Loera.

The presumed leader of the “Los Chapitos” faction of the cartel made the surprising claim at a court hearing at which he was formally notified of the United States request for his extradition.

Guzmán is wanted in the U.S. on a total of 11 drug trafficking, firearm possession and money laundering charges and could be imprisoned for life if convicted.

Appearing at the hearing via video link from the Altiplano maximum-security prison in México state, the 32-year-old suspect asserted that his arrest was a case of mistaken identity.

“I’m not the person they believe I am, that the United States is asking for,” he said.

Despite that assertion, the suspect identified himself as Ovidio Guzmán López and, in an offhanded remark, acknowledged that “El Chapo” was his father.

A lawyer for Guzmán, Alberto Díaz Mendieta, also told the judge that his client was not the son of Guzmán Loera, who was sentenced to life in prison in the United States in 2019.

Prosecutors countered that he matched the physical description included in the United States’ extradition request.

Díaz also claimed that the extradition request submitted by the United States to Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs didn’t comply with conditions set out in the extradition treaty between the two countries. He said he would file a request for an injunction against his client’s extradition.

Judge Rogelio Díaz Villarreal ruled that Guzmán must remain in prison while the extradition request remains unresolved.

The accused was first arrested in Culiacán in 2019 but released a short time later due to the violent response of Sinaloa Cartel members and fears that a bloodbath could ensue.

His second arrest on the morning of Jan. 5 preceded a day of violent chaos, with 10 soldiers and 19 alleged criminals killed in clashes, according to the Defense Ministry.

With reports from El Economista, Reforma and El Universal 

Have something to say? Paid Subscribers get all access to make & read comments.
People in the water on a Cancun beach. On the beach near the shore is a red advisory flag warning of strong currents

Extreme cold front closes key Gulf Coast ports, as winter weather blows in from the north

0
With Mexico's national weather service predicting dangerously cold, extreme winds and rain, the navy ordered many Gulf ports to close.
Claudia Sheinbaum rides in a camo military jeep with two military leaders at the Revolution Day parade in Mexico City's main plaza

President Sheinbaum leads Revolution Day parade in Mexico City

0
As the first female supreme commander of the Mexican armed forces, Sheinbaum was also the first woman to lead the annual parade.
Container ships arriving into the Port of Manzanillo in Mexico

Port of Manzanillo to receive 64 billion pesos in investment

0
The funds will help transform Mexico's largest port into the largest one in Latin America, but cartel violence could mar the project's promise.