Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman asks US court authorities to transfer him from the United States back to Mexico, according to court filings reported by AFP and echoed by other outlets. Guzman, who was extradited from Mexico to the US in 2017 after escaping twice from Mexican prisons, is serving a life sentence at a maximum-security facility in Colorado. He is serving the sentence for charges including drug trafficking and money laundering.
AFP reports that Guzman submits the request through letters filed in the Eastern District Court of New York. In the letters, he says his punishment is “cruel” and that he disputes the fairness of his trial. He also complains that requests for documents related to his sentencing have gone unanswered. Guzman invokes constitutional protections, including references to the “first to the fifth amendment,” and says he has been waiting for an appeal for three years.
The reports also note that Guzman has previously raised concerns from prison about conditions, including isolation, and about the lack of family visits. The filings reported do not clarify whether he seeks to serve the remainder of his sentence in Mexico or make another kind of transfer request.
