Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman has sent a handwritten letter to the federal court for the Eastern District of New York, requesting to be extradited to Mexico to face charges in his home country. Legal experts consider this move almost certain to fail.
Letter Details and Legal Arguments
The document, dated April 23 and formally received by the court on May 1, was processed through the Pro Se office of the Brooklyn court. This confirms that the drug trafficker acted alone, without the support or signature of his defense attorneys. The letter, written in grammatically incorrect English, appeals to concepts of "equity" and argues that his procedural rights were systematically violated during his trial, according to a report from Univisión.
Guzmán contends that compelling evidence in his favor was never presented during the trial, which, in his view, would justify the immediate annulment of his conviction. The drug lord also suggests that a supposed appeal in process should grant him the right to a new trial, and he requests that Mexico and the United States collaborate to facilitate his transfer to Mexican territory.
Previous Communications
This letter is the most recent in a series of communications Guzmán has sent from prison. On April 10, he submitted another letter to Judge Brian Cogan—filed in court on April 17—invoking the First and Eighth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution to demand fair treatment. In that letter, he wrote: "This is a courteous letter from the Political Constitution of Mexico regarding the authority and the laws of the United States concerning my extradition to receive fair treatment in this country."
Trial and Sentencing
The Brooklyn jury found Chapo Guzmán guilty on February 12, 2019, on all ten charges presented, which included continuing criminal enterprise, trafficking in cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and methamphetamines, illegal use of firearms, and money laundering. Months later, Judge Cogan sentenced Chapo to life in prison plus an additional 30 years and ordered the forfeiture of over 12 billion dollars on July 17, 2019.
Appeals Exhausted
In December 2022, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the validity of the verdict, dismissing all arguments presented by the defense. In 2023, the Supreme Court of the United States declined to review the case, effectively exhausting all available federal resources for the person from Sinaloa.
Current Imprisonment
Guzmán is serving his sentence at the ADX Florence prison in Colorado, known as the "Alcatraz of the Rockies," under Special Administrative Measures. This regime of extreme isolation keeps him in an individual cell for 23 to 24 hours a day with no contact with other inmates.
