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A Mexican federal law enforcement official said Saturday that Mexico is willing to extradite Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman for trial in the United States, marking a drastic shift in the government's position after El Chapo's last capture in 2014.The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told the Associated Press that "Mexico is ready" for extradition process and "they are to cooperate with the U.S." El Chapo faces at least seven charges in U.S. federal courts, including indictments for drug trafficking and murder.
A senior official at the Justice Department told NBC News, "I can confirm that it is the practice of the United States to seek extradition whenever defendants subject to U.S. charges are apprehended in another country."
According to the New York Times, the process could take months, and that El Chapo's lawyers will fight his extradition. The Times reported in July that the United States requested El Chapo's extradition three weeks before his escape from prison, but Mexican officials resisted, saying it was an issue of sovereignty, and that El Chapo would serve his due time in Mexico before being sent to the U.S.
At the time, current attorney general Murillo Karam, said, "El Chapo must stay here to complete his sentence, and then I will extradite him. So about 300 or 400 years later — it will be awhile."
El Chapo was recaptured on Friday after his attempts to contact filmmakers about producing a biopic based on his own life gave up his location in the Sierra Madre.
