The co-founder of the Sinaloa cartel writes letters to the court from an American cell and calls the life sentence unfair. El Chapo is now asking to negotiate a return to Mexico.
Mexican drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán has asked US judicial authorities to be extradited back to his native country, court filings show. Guzmán is serving a life sentence, which he himself describes as “cruel”, reports TASR, according to Monday’s AFP report.
The co-founder of the Sinaloa cartel, who was extradited to the US in 2017 after two escapes from Mexican prisons, is serving a life sentence in a maximum-security facility in the US state of Colorado on multiple charges, including drug trafficking and money laundering.
Letters addressed to the court
AFP has seen three letters written by Guzmán. In that addressed district court in New York, the drug lord urged that they recognize his right to ask to return to his country – without clarifying whether his request refers to serving the rest of his sentence in Mexico.
In another letter dated April 20, Guzmán complained that his requests for documents leading to his conviction had gone unanswered. “The verdict in my trial was not fair,” he said.
El Chapo noted that he has been waiting for an appeal for three years. In previous letters from prison, for example, he repeatedly complained about isolation, poor conditions in his cell and few family visits.
