Mexican drug kingpin Guzman dodges U.S.

extradition for now

By Anahi Rama February 26, 2014 9:23 AM
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Drugs kingpin dodges U.S. extradition

By Anahi Rama

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MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin "Shorty" Guzman won a temporary
injunction to block his extradition to the United States where he faces narcotics and arms
trafficking charges, a federal judge ruled on Tuesday.
Guzman, who was Mexico's most wanted criminal and boss of the feared Sinaloa Cartel, was
caught in the beach resort of Mazatlan with help from U.S. agents in a pre-dawn raid on
Saturday.
The dramatic capture brought to a close his time as one of the world's most notorious organized
crime bosses, and was a major victory for the Mexican government in a long, brutal war that has
killed more than 80,000 people since 2007.
The day after Guzman's arrest, the spokesman for a U.S. federal prosecutor said he planned to
seek the capo's extradition to face trial in the United States, but it is still unclear whether that will
happen, and extradition proceedings can take years to complete.
On Monday, Guzman's lawyers filed an injunction to block any move to extradite him to the
United States. The injunction was approved on Tuesday but it remains unclear how long it will
last, raising the possibility that the drug lord could remain in Mexico for a while.
View gallery

People play music and march in support of jailed top drug boss Joaquin Guzman Loera, "El
Chapo&
"As long as the judge presides over the legal process, he can't be extradited," a court official who
spoke on the condition of anonymity said.
Jesus Murillo, Mexico's attorney general, said on Tuesday that Guzman's potential extradition
will be analyzed by the government, but that he does not expect a quick resolution.
"I do not think it will happen soon," Murillo said in a radio interview.
Mexico's top prosecutor added that he received a phone call on Monday from his counterpart in
the United States, Attorney General Eric Holder, who he said mentioned the possibility of
extraditing Guzman.
Past extradition cases have dragged on for years.
Due to widespread corruption in the ranks of Mexico's court system and police, many major drug
traffickers have been turned over to face U.S. prosecution and imprisonment.
In 2007, suspected Sinaloa trafficker Sandra Avila, also known as "the Queen of the Pacific," was
arrested in Mexico but was not extradited until five years later.
After she pleaded guilty in the United States and was jailed for a year, Avila was returned to
Mexico last year where she was tried again and imprisoned a second time.
Guzman, 56, is being held in the Altiplano prison in the State of Mexico, outside the capital. He
gave a brief statement to a judge on Sunday, and is being kept in a cell alone in a maximum
security area.
Guzman escaped from a Mexican prison in 2001, where he continued to lead his lucrative drugrunning business, with the help of some of his jailers.

The United States had a $5 million bounty on Guzman's head. His cartel has smuggled billions of
dollars of cocaine, marijuana and methamphetamine into the United States, and fought brutal turf
wars with other gangs across Mexico.
In addition to facing multiple criminal charges in Mexico, Guzman also faces charges in Illinois,
New York and Texas.
(Writing by David Alire Garcia; Editing by Gabriel Stargardter, Simon Gardner and Lisa
Shumaker)

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stretch 1 day ago

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The "Queen of the Pacific" was extradicted after five years of legal wrangling, then spent
a year in the US jail system? Hardly worth it...
The moment Guzman was in custody, somewhere another thug stepped up and will

continue to the ply the trade. It's like putting your hand in a bucket of water, once you
pull it out, the water rushes back; no hole whatsoever. And for a guy with his money and
clout, he will live like a king in the Mexican jail..
The only solution to a smuggling problem is to disrupt demand, and supply goes away...
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VIET VET 942 16 minutes ago

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Let the Mexicans deal with him. Why should we spend more money just to put the SOB
in our jail when the prisons in Mexico are so much better?
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The Lonely Ranger 1 day ago

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For all the USA, Mexican and other countries drug users:
Please don't worry, your drugs will be arriving like always, at the same prices and at the
same amounts. We guarantee you peace of mind and our suppliers are doing their best to
keep in calm the stock market.
Behind the Chapo Guzmn that was the number 1, we have the number 2 boss and in that
order we have at least 100 major drug bosses to take over and re-accommodate in peace
and harmony the Sinaloa Cartel organization.

Remember that the operations of this Cartel are all over the world and also remember that
when the King falls we salute the new King.
We apologize for any inconvenience and please don't read the news because we don't
want you to panic.
Please keep consuming the great variety of our products that make you happy because it
is thanks to you and your insatiable appetite for drugs that we are a great renowned
corporation that can offer stable employment to more than 150 000 people.
Sincerely
The Sinaloa Cartel
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LEUNAM 3 hours ago

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The Obama admin. has been deporting Mexicans by the boat load and now they want to
import one?
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Rob Roy 9 hours ago

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He has probably bought and paid for the whole judiciary so won't be worried about being
extradited.

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Tony Romo Sucks 9 hours ago

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Enablers in Mexico don't want the U.S. to try or depose him.
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Gino 9 hours ago

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If they don't put him in jail outside of Mexico, they might as well just let him go. He'll
live the high life in a custom Mexican prison built just for him just like other drug lords
have done.
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Hitch 8 hours ago

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I'm surprised he's dressed so casually. An important man like that should have been given
a tie and sports coat first
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alamos 9 hours ago

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Since Guzman has bribed many Mexican officials he'll never see the inside of an
American jail. His "jail time" in Mexico will be like a stay at a Hyatt Hotel with all it's
amenities. He'll stay in jail for a while and bribe his way out of prison the way he did last
time and the story will repeat itself. Too many people make money off of Chapo Guzman
so they won't allow him to leave the country.
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NAS 9 hours ago

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Where is all the money look like they only confiscate some eggs , half bottle cheap liquor
and some personal belongings which most of them are knock offs. The .Who is handling
the money now and is he willing to give it up. May be he is just a double and real guy
sitting in Colombia . Who was that lady and baby with him .
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