The notorious drug boss was recaptured earlier this month, after six months on the run, following an elaborate prison break using a tunnel dug into his jail cell.
The recapture is considered largely a result of police being lead to Guzman after an interview the convict did with noted film actor Sean Penn. The actor has spoken out against those claims, and accused the government of actively attempting to destroy his relationship with Guzman’s Sinaloa cartel.
In 2011, the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) stated that El Chapo had surpassed the influence and reach of Pablo Escobar, calling him "the godfather of the drug world."
"Evidently, there's a whole process we have to go through that involves the judicial branch of our country, but the directive that the Attorney General's Office has been given is to work and speed up this work to make this extradition of this highly dangerous criminal happen as soon as possible," Nieto told the World Economic Forum currently underway in Davos, Switzerland.
Mexican Attorney General Arely Gomez stated that the US requested Guzman's extradition as early as June 16, but that the process can take anywhere from one to five years.
"It was for us, the government, without a doubt a difficult and tense moment when he [El Chapo] was able to escape from prison…. But the important thing is that we were able to re-apprehend him. The most wanted criminal in Mexico, one of the most wanted in the world, was re-apprehended thanks to an intelligence effort and consistent work of the public security forces in our country," the Mexican President stated.
Guzman’s lawyers have stated that they intend to fight his extradition to the United States.
