A handwritten letter filed in federal court in Brooklyn shows that Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán is once again attempting to challenge the outcome of his case, this time asking to be returned to Mexico.
The document, dated April 23, 2026, and stamped as filed on May 1 by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, outlines Guzmán's request for what he describes as "equal treatment of the law" and an "extradition release back to Mexico."
Guzmán, who is serving a life sentence at the United States Penitentiary Administrative Maximum Facility in Florence, Colorado, wrote the letter by hand and addressed it to a U.S. district judge in Brooklyn, where he was convicted in 2019 on multiple counts related to drug trafficking, organized crime and conspiracy.
In the letter, Guzmán claims there were violations in his case and argues that key evidence "wasn't proven," although he does not provide specific legal arguments or cite particular rulings. He frames the request as part of an ongoing effort to seek fairness through the appeals process.
"I'm asking the District courts of my rights to be request back to my country," Guzmán wrote, adding that he wants to "seek changes on the violation of my verdict for fairness in the federal law."
The letter is the second written by El Chapo recently and made public. According to his lawyers, he has spent his time in federal prison learning English.
Legal experts note that such requests face significant hurdles. Guzmán was extradited from Mexico to the United States in 2017 under a bilateral agreement that included assurances he would not face the death penalty. After his conviction, he was sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years, effectively eliminating the possibility of release.
There is no publicly known mechanism that would allow a convicted federal inmate of Guzmán's profile to be transferred back to Mexico to serve his sentence, absent a formal prisoner transfer agreement approved by both governments. Even then, such transfers are rare and typically reserved for lower-profile cases.
The tone of the letter is informal and at times difficult to interpret, with grammatical inconsistencies and unclear phrasing. Guzmán references having written "several letters" regarding the fairness of his appeal and suggests that both the United States and Mexico could "emerge the policy together" to facilitate his return.
Court records show that Guzmán has continued to pursue appeals since his conviction, though previous efforts have been unsuccessful. In 2022, a federal appeals court upheld his conviction, rejecting claims related to juror misconduct and trial conditions.
Guzmán's incarceration at ADX Florence, often described as the most secure federal prison in the United States, includes highly restrictive conditions. Inmates are held in near-total isolation, a factor that has been cited in past legal challenges by defense attorneys arguing about humane treatment.
The latest filing does not appear to be a formal legal motion drafted by an attorney, but rather a pro se submission, meaning it was filed directly by Guzmán without legal representation.
It remains unclear whether the court will take any action on the letter or treat it as part of his ongoing appeals efforts.
Neither the U.S. Department of Justice nor Guzmán's legal representatives have publicly commented on the filing.
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