United States extradition request for ‘El Chapo’ still stands – Justice Dep’t

Security forces in Mexico have recaptured notorious drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman after a fierce gun battle, six months after his second escape from a maximum security prison in the country.

“Mission accomplished: We got him”, Pena Nieto wrote on Twitter.

The recapture of the drug lord, who has twice slipped out of Mexican prisons, is regarded as a major victory for Pena Nieto. Construction noise as a digger broke through from the tunnel to his cell was obvious inside the prison, according a video of Guzman in his cell just before he escaped.

His ability to sneak tons of cocaine, heroin and marijuana into the United States made him “Public Enemy Number One” in Chicago, a moniker that had been given to USA prohibition-era mafia boss Al Capone.

Friday’s announcement marked the third time that Guzman was captured by Mexican authorities.

Seconds later, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman stood up, sat down on his cell bed and changes his shoes.

But these exploits ended in 2014 with his arrest in a predawn operation on his beachside hideaway in the Mexican Pacific resort town of Mazatlan.

The rivalry with other drug cartels has spurred an ongoing drug war that’s left thousands of Mexicans dead.

Because of Guzman’s economic resources and history of escapes from Mexican prisons, he would likely be kept in solitary confinement. He escaped from another maximum security prison, Puente Grande in western Jalisco state, in 2001, with help of prison guards.

“I salute the Mexican law enforcement and military personnel who have worked tirelessly in recent months to bring Guzman to justice”, Attorney General Loretta Lynch said.

In October, the government said Guzman narrowly evaded security forces searching for him in the northwest of Mexico, sustaining injuries to his face and leg. Five of his associates were killed, six were injured and several were captured, the navy said.

Marines checked the storm drain system, though it was unclear if Guzman had once again fled through the drains.

“Guzman Loera will be taken again to the Altiplano prison”, 90 kilometers (55 miles) west of Mexico City, Attorney General Arely Gomez told waiting reporters before the drug lord was placed on the helicopter with his alleged security chief, who was also arrested Friday.

“Many people had doubted he could be recaptured”, Mexican security analyst Raul Benitez said.

The pair came out of a manhole and stole a vehicle, but they were captured on a road and taken to a motel, Gomez said.

Mexico’s Attorney General released a recent photo of escapee Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman on July 13, 2015.

His most recent escape from prison had strained relations between Mexico and the United States, which had formally requested Guzman’s extradition only weeks before. But Guzman’s lawyers already filed appeals on those and were granted injunctions that could substantially delay the process.

There also is a provisional arrest warrant in Mexico on behalf of the United States that was issued more than a decade ago, Carr said. Authorities found a shirtless Guzman, with an AK-47 next to his bed, and his beauty-queen wife in a no-frills condo tower.