Son of Mexican cartel head ‘El Chapo’ extradited to U.S. to face drug charges

Mexican security forces captured Ovidio Guzman Lopez, alias "the Mouse," in January in Culiacan, and have now extradited him to the U.S. to face drug trafficking charges.

Mexico extradited Ovidio Guzman Lopez, a son of former Sinaloa cartel leader Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, to the United States on Friday to face drug trafficking charges, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.

“This action is the most recent step in the Justice Department’s effort to attack every aspect of the cartel’s operations,” Garland said.

The Mexican government did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Mexican security forces captured Guzman Lopez, alias “the Mouse,” in January in Culiacan, capital of Sinaloa state, the cartel’s namesake.

Three years earlier, the government had tried to capture him, but aborted the operation after his cartel allies set off a wave of violence in Culiacan.

January’s arrest set off similar violence that killed 30 people in Culiacan, including 10 military personnel.

The army used Black Hawk helicopter gunships against the cartel’s truck-mounted .50-caliber machine guns. Cartel gunmen hit two military aircraft forcing them to land and sent gunmen to the city’s airport where military and civilian aircraft were hit by gunfire.

The capture came just days before U.S. President Joe Biden visited Mexico for bilateral talks followed by the North American Leaders’ Summit.