Notorious Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman is apparently not very comfortable in his cell at the ADX Florence Supermax prison in Colorado.
Recent reports indicate he has called on Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador in a bid to be relocated to his home country, citing the “cruel and unfair” treatment he is allegedly receiving in the U.S.
·@elpaisinenglish | El Chapo – one of the most famous drug traffickers in history – says he is suffering from "memory loss, stress and depression" as a result of his treatment in US prison, and wants the Mexican president to intercede on his behalf https://t.co/joApET7ytZ
— EL PAÍS México (@elpaismexico) January 18, 2023
His attorney recently claimed in an interview with Mexico’s Radio Formula that he has been isolated to the point of constituting psychological torture. Additionally, Jose Refugio Rodriguez asserted that Guzman has been deprived of medical care, appropriate nutrition, visitors, sunlight, and even the opportunity to speak Spanish.
“Joaquín asked me through verbal messages to fight for his return to Mexico,” the attorney said. “I see it as an SOS. … he is hurting from a trial that was not in accordance with due process.”
The U.S. and Mexico currently have a joint treaty allowing for inmates to be extradited to their home country to serve out sentences closer to their relatives.
Of course, Guzman’s motivation for relocating to his home nation might be related to the fact that he escaped from two Mexican prisons before he was convicted on counts of murder, drug trafficking, and money laundering by a New York court in 2019.
He is currently serving a life sentence in a high-security prison from which no inmate has staged a successful escape.
For his part, the Mexican president claimed he had not received any communication from Guzman’s lawyer, but indicated a willingness to consider the request.
“I haven’t seen it, but let’s see,” Obrador said.
Meanwhile, Guzman’s son is facing serious charges of his own in connection with his arrest earlier this month in Mexico, just days before U.S. President Joe Biden was scheduled to visit Obrador in Mexico City.
Ovidio Guzman has been tied to the steady flow of fentanyl into the U.S. across its border with Mexico for several years, leading some skeptics to suggest that his arrest was a political stunt to show a willingness among Mexican authorities to crack down on the international drug trade.
In an interview with USA Today, former Drug Enforcement Administration official Derek Maltz opined: “It certainly seems like politics. There’s a lot of speculation now that it’s all about the timing. Biden announces he’s going down to Mexico, so now they’re going to go out and grab Ovidio.”