Close Associate of Mexican Drug Lord El Chapo’s Son Extradited to the U.S.
U.S. President Joe Biden expressed his gratitude to Mexico for the arrest of a key member of a Mexican drug cartel. The U.S. has been grappling with the continuous influx of drugs such as fentanyl from Mexico.
In a statement released through the White House website on the 23rd (local time), President Biden said, “I want to thank President López Obrador and the Mexican Army and special forces for effectively capturing El Nini and express our appreciation for the brave men and women of Mexican security forces who undertook this successful operation to apprehend him..”
The previous day, the Mexican National Defense Forces and the military authorities arrested Néstor Isidro Pérez Salas. He is also known as “El Nini” and is in a large-scale operation in Culiacan, the capital of Sinaloa.
People recognize Pérez Salas as the ‘action captain’ of the Chapitos wing, a core organization within the Sinaloa Cartel. The Sinaloa Cartel is a notorious drug trafficking gang led by Joaquin Guzman, the infamous “drug king” currently imprisoned in the U.S., also known as El Chapo. Los Chapitos translates to “Little El Chapo.”
Role in the Sinaloa Cartel
Most people know Pérez Salas as the right-hand man of Ovidio Guzmán López, El Chapo’s son. Earlier this year, Mexican authorities arrested Ovidio Guzmán, and he is currently imprisoned in the U.S.
Both the U.S. and Mexican governments had issued warrants or indicted Pérez Salas on charges of manufacturing and trafficking the deadly drug fentanyl, as well as various serious crimes such as murder and torture. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) considers him one of the most ruthless members of the Sinaloa Cartel.
President Biden emphasized, “This proves the commitment of the U.S. and Mexico to protect our communities, confront the cartels, and end the illegal fentanyl disaster that is harming many families. We will continue to make every effort as strong partners to hold criminals accountable for threatening public health and safety in both countries.”
U.S. Attorney General’s Statement
Meanwhile, it appears that the U.S. Department of Justice has requested the extradition of Perez Salas from the Mexican authorities.
In a separate Department of Justice press release, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland explained, “Now Mexico will quickly transfer ‘El Nini’ to face justice in the U.S.”
By. Hwang Soo Min
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