US to seek extradition of accused Mexican drug kingpin Guzman

U.S. federal prosecutors in New York plan to seek the extradition of Mexico's most wanted man, drug cartel kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, to the United States, the U.S. Attorney's office said on Sunday.

Guzman, captured on Saturday in Mexico with help from U.S. agencies, had long run Mexico's infamous Sinaloa Cartel. Robert Nardoza, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's office in Brooklyn, said his office plans to seek Guzman's extradition to face a variety of charges.

The U.S. had placed a $5 million bounty on Guzman. His cartel has smuggled billions of dollars’ worth of cocaine, marijuana and methamphetamines into the United States, and fought vicious turf wars with other Mexican gangs.

Guzman, whose nickname "El Chapo" means "Shorty," pioneered the use of sophisticated underground tunnels to smuggle drug shipments across the border and also became a major narcotics exporter to Europe and Asia in recent years. 

Reuters