#BBB NEWS| El Chapo Has Been Extradited To U.S. - Mexican Government

Mexican government officials have announced Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzman has been extradited to the United States for six separate indictments throughout the country.

The news was confirmed Thursday (Jan. 19) by a spokesperson for the Mexican attorney general and the U.S. Department of Justice, ABC News reports. El Chapo was seen at the Ciudad Juarez airport, although it hasn’t been reported where in the U.S. he will land. As the leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, El Chapo is facing drug charges in California and Texas.

In May, the U.S. claimed Guzman would not face the death penalty, with a Mexican judge pausing the process in June over concerns about El Chapo’s “physical integrity.” The extradition was later approved.

In a statement, the DOJ thanked the Mexican government for securing the extradition. In Texas, Guzman is facing charges of murder, money laundering and conspiracy. Guzman is also accused of similar crimes in Californa. The Sinaloa cartel is reportedly behind 25 percent of illegal drugs that are sold, shipped and distributed throughout California, Chicago and other areas of the country.

Guzman has escaped two maximum security prisons. Once in 2001 and was reincarcerated in January 2016 after six months on the run. Both times he received help from correctional officers. During his second escape, investigators discovered Guzman vanished through a hole under the bathtub of his cell. A tunnel with motorcycle rails was built for his escape.

The news comes just one day before the inauguration of president-elect Donald Trump.