El Chapo Guzmán, the former leader of the Sinaloa Cartel (CDS), has once again captured public attention after sending another letter to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.
In the document—dated May 1 and recently received by the court—the kingpin directly points to the Mexican government as being responsible for “all violent crimes” in the country, while reiterating his request to be extradited back to Mexico or to seek procedural relief within the United States.
Although Federal Judge Brian Cogan has systematically rejected his previous petitions—deeming them unfounded and lacking legal merit—Joaquín Guzmán Loera maintains his defensive stance. Drug Cartels
The convicted felon asserts in his letter that the accusations keeping him confined in a maximum-security prison are based on the testimony of “a single witness.” He further defends his public image by claiming that, in Mexico: “In my country, I wasn’t known for bad things; I only wanted my family to live well.
Guzmán Loera’s persistence clashes directly with the stance of the U.S. judicial system. Judge Cogan, who presided over the so-called “Trial of the Century,” has already dismissed at least five similar requests filed by the defense team for the Sinaloa native. The magistrate has characterized these motions as nonsensical and lacking the necessary legal backing to be considered under current regulations.
This latest attempt to challenge his sentence and the legitimacy of his trial takes place within a context where the former criminal leader seeks to appeal to both public opinion and judicial authorities through personal written statements, alleging irregularities in his trial. However, U.S. authorities have reiterated that the sentences handed down following the criminal proceedings in New York are final, leaving little room for the claims of the man currently incarcerated at the ADX Florence prison.
