Former cartel kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman has made a desperate plea to be repatriated to Mexico to serve out his sentence due to the “cruel and unfair” treatment he receives in the United States.
In response, Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador has reportedly said he will review the request, telling a news conference: “You always have to keep the door open when it comes to human rights.”
Guzman, 64, was convicted in 2019 of drug trafficking, money laundering and homicide after decades in control of the Sinaloa Cartel, Mexico’s most powerful organised crime group.
He was sentenced to life and imprisoned in the ADX Florence Supermax in Colorado, where many of America’s most dangerous inmates are locked up.
His lawyer José Refugio Rodríguez was quoted this week in Mexican media saying that Guzman hasn’t had adequate access to sunlight, visitation rights, proper food or medical care.
“He had a problem with his molars and instead of treating them, they took them out so he wouldn’t fuss,” Mr Rodriguez reportedly told Radio Formula on Tuesday.
Now the Mexican president has opened the door to taking back arguably the most notorious criminal ever to emerge from his country, one who has embarrassed authorities by escaping custody several times.
The US and Mexico have an agreement where prisoners can serve out their sentence in the other country to be closer to family.
Given the severity of Guzman’s crimes, his connections in Mexico’s government and security forces, and the ongoing risk of escape, it appears highly unlikely that the US would agree to such a deal.
During a press conference on Wednesday, “AMLO”, as he’s often referred to, said the Mexican embassy in Washington DC had received a request on 10 January which had been passed on to the Foreign Ministry for review.
Earlier this month, Guzman’s son Ovidio Guzman was arrested during a military operation in Sinaloa.
