Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán Loera, the former leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, sent a letter to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York requesting that his petition to be extradited to Mexico be addressed.
The letter, dated April 23, 2026, and written in English, was shared by journalist Keegan Hamilton; in it, the drug trafficker detailed that he had previously sent other letters seeking information regarding his next appeal date in order to receive equal treatment under the law.
“El Chapo” is currently serving a sentence of life imprisonment plus 30 years in the United States, following a three-month trial in which he was charged with 10 counts related to drug trafficking, weapons offenses, and participating in a conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Following his conviction, the drug trafficker was incarcerated at the maximum-security prison known as ADX Florence, where Genaro García Luna—the former Secretary of Public Security during the administration of Felipe Calderón—is also currently held.
“My name is Joaquín Guzmán, and I am fighting for an extradition release back to Mexico. Today, I have written several letters regarding the fairness of my appeal at the upcoming hearing, in order to obtain equal treatment under the law,” reads the opening section of the letter.
