Guzman was transferred early Saturday morning to Cefereso No. 9, just outside Ciudad Juarez, which is across the border from El Paso, Texas. The official wasn’t authorized to discuss Guzman’s case publicly and agreed to do so only if not quoted by name. He said Guzman’s defense team wasn’t notified before it happened.
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A Chihuahua state official, who also asked to remain anonymous, said the presence of a U.S. consulate in Ciudad Juarez meant Guzman’s handover could be processed faster than through the USA embassy.
The Mexican government stated reason for the move at this time is to allow for security enhancements to be made to the Altiplano prison near Mexico City.
Guzman tunneled his way out of a maximum security prison in Mexico last July and was finally recaptured in January.
“He was moved strictly because of security concerns”, said Vigil, a former chief of global operations who regularly follows the Mexican drug war.
In Brooklyn, Guzman and other cartel leaders were indicted in 2009 on charges of conspiring to import more than 264,000 pounds of cocaine into the United States between 1990 and 2005, according to the U.S. Justice Department. But authorities denied that.
The network quotes “a senior Mexican law enforcement source” as saying the move was made to facilitate Guzman’s extradition to the United States.
According to Milenio, members of the Partido Acción Nacional (PAN) and Partido de la Revolución Democrática (PRD) political parties have called for Guzman to be extradited to the United States immediately due to the weaknesses of the Mexican penitentiary system.
“I don’t know what the strategy is”, Refugio told The Associated Press. A spokesperson from Mexico’s National Security Commission told Fusion the agency could not comment on whether Chapo’s transfer is related to his impending extradition. “They don’t pre-position people….” He was transported back to Altiplano – the same prison from which he had escaped under his cell’s shower stall.
Jose Refugio Rodriguez, an lawyer for Guzman, confirmed that he was sent to the Cefereso No. 9 prison.
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“There is no risk of an escape”, from the Juarez facility, Duarte told reporters during a news conference. “If he was brought here from Altiplano it’s because the security conditions are way above those of Altiplano, that’s what the federal government settled on”. Other authorities say Altiplano needed security renovations.
