He was arrested by Mexican authorities in January. There are also charges against his two brothers, but so far they remain free. They are believed to have assumed leadership of the cartel after the arrest of his father, who was convicted in 2019 and is now serving a life sentence in Colorado.
US Attorney General Merrick Garland said the extradition of Ovidio Guzmán was the latest step in US efforts to combat “all aspects” of drug trafficking operations run by the Sinaloa cartel, which has been linked for a long time to the Guzmán family.
According to the United States Department of Justice, the cartel was bringing illicit fentanyl into the United States from Mexico. Between 2019 and 2021, fatal overdoses with this synthetic opioid increased approximately 94 percent, meaning about 196 Americans die from fentanyl each day and supplies continue to increase.
In the first two months of fiscal year 2023 alone, the total amount of fentanyl seized exceeded the amount seized in all of 2020.
