Mexico’s president said he will consider the desperate plea made by convicted drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman to be returned to the country over complaints about the “cruel and unfair” conditions at his high-security US prison.
“We will review it,” President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Wednesday, before adding: “You always have to keep the door open when it comes to human rights.”
Once one of the most feared and vicious narcotraffickers from Central America, Guzman is now left making his case to be brought home over claims he is experiencing “psychological torment” in his super-max American prison.
The Mexican Embassy in Washington confirmed it received a request from Guzman’s attorney, José Refugio Rodríguez.
The request detailed the infamous drug peddler’s complaints about US prison, including issues with the quality of medical care, food and lack of sunlight. The email from Rodríguez was turned over to Mexico’s Foreign Relations Department.
Guzman, 64, was extradited to the US in 2017 and has since been locked up at a super-max federal prison in Colorado. He was given a life sentence in 2019.
His attorney painted a picture of the horrrible living conditions his client has suffered through the past few years — including dismal health care, zero sunlight and disgusting food.
“He doesn’t see the sun, the food is of very bad quality, there is no health care,” Rodríguez told reporters.
“He had a problem with his molars and instead of treating them, they took them out so he wouldn’t fuss,” Rodríguez added. “He is hurting in a trial that was not in accordance with due process.”
His attorney said he considers Guzman’s request to be transferred home “an SOS” for help.
The Sinaloa cartel founder had his bid to overturn his federal conviction shot down last year. Since then, his legacy has been taken over by his 32-year-old son Ovidio Guzman-Lopez.
His jailed son, nicknamed “El Raton,” or “The Mouse” was moved to a maximum-security prison in Mexico after his arrest triggered an outbreak of gang violence.
The US and Mexico have a prison transfer agreement that, under certain circumstances, allows convicted inmates in one country to carry out their sentences in their home country. However, given Guzman’s extensive crimes and life sentence, it is uncertain whether the agreement could apply in his case.
With Post wires
This article was originally posted here