CNN reports Mexico plans to extradite Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman to the United States to face drug trafficking charges. Guzman was recaptured this past Friday, and although Guzman was on the run for six months after his second prison breakout, he managed to brag about his drug trades and even tried to secure a movie deal. According to Mexican Attorney General Arely Gomez, Guzman and his attorneys’ outreach for a movie deal is what led authorities to him. U.S. law enforcement officials stated the electronic communication tracking was also a critical tool for the recapture. The U.S. and Mexican authorities shared intelligence, but it was the Mexican authorities that carried out the operation.
Guzman is the head of the Sinaloa Cartel and became the top drug kingpin in 2003, with his operations infiltrating drug cells throughout the United States. Forbes Magazine ranked Guzman as one of the most powerful people in the world between 2009 and 2011. He was described as a fearless master of bribery, who “commanded much loyalty.” His prison escape this past July was his second prison escape in the last 14 years, causing major embarrassment for the Mexican government and symbolizing the depth of corruption that encompasses the Mexican penal system. Guzman is held inside Central Mexico’s Altiplano maximum security prison awaiting extradition to the U.S.