A lawyer for drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman said Wednesday his client now wants to be extradited as soon as possible to the United States because guards at a Mexican maximum-security prison won’t let him sleep.
Lawyer Jose Refugio Rodriguez said Guzman told him to negotiate with U.S. authorities for a lighter sentence and confinement at a medium-security prison.
Rodriguez told Radio Formula Wednesday he talked to Guzman Tuesday at the Altiplano prison west of Mexico City.
“He has reached the limit,” Rodriguez said. “It is an act of desperation.”
“He said to try to get a negotiation with the American government,” Rodriguez said, adding, “We know of agreements with other people for confinement in medium-security prisons … a much lower sentence.”
The U.S. Embassy in Mexico City said it does not comment on extraditions.
Guzman’s lawyers had previously vowed to fight extradition as long as possible, and Mexican officials had acknowledged it would take at least a year and perhaps more for the extradition process to work its way through Mexican courts.
But Rodriguez suggested it could be done in two months, presumably if Guzman dropped an estimated nine appeals his lawyers have filed.
However, Rodriguez said “we won’t drop the (legal) defense in Mexico until we have an agreement with the United States.”
Officials have acknowledged that guards at the Altilplano prison wake Guzman every four hours for a head count. He escaped the same prison in July and was recaptured in January.
The harsher regime – Guzman also has fewer visits than during his last stint in prison – seems to have broken him.
“I saw a defeated, humiliated man,” Rodriguez said.
In February, Rodriguez gave The Associated Press a copy of Guzman’s testimony in one of the cases against him. In it, the jailed drug lord accused prison authorities of torturing him “by waking him up, and said, “I feel like a sleepwalker.”
“My head and my ears always hurt and I feel bad all over,” Guzman said in the document.
The testimony also sheds light on the relatively permissive visitors’ schedule Guzman enjoyed at the maximum-security prison before his escape in July. It has been reduced since he was recaptured in January.
Guzman said that previously he had been give an hour-and-a-half every day to talk to his lawyer and an hour in the sun in a prison patio. Every nine days, he was allowed a four-hour conjugal visit and a four-hour family visit.
National security commissioner Renato Sales, whose responsibilities include overseeing federal prisons, said at a news conference Monday that Guzman’s human rights are in no way being violated at the Altiplano prison,
Sales pointed out that Guzman has escaped twice from Mexican prisons.
“Shouldn’t someone who twice escaped from maximum security prisons be subject to special security measures? The common sense answer is yes,” Sales said.
Trending News on PVDN
Popocatépetl Volcano Exhibits Increased Activity; Yellow Phase 3 Alert Continues PUERTO VALLARTA (PVDN) - In the past 24 hours, heightened activity was recorded from Mexico's Popocatépetl volcano, with an alarming 315 exhalations detected, accompanied by water vapor, other volcanic gases, and ash, according to the Scientific Advisory Committee (CCA) of the National Civil Protection System (SINAPROC). Monitoring systems in place around the active stratovolcano also…
Shocking Case of Animal Abuse in Mexico: Man Throws Dog into Boiling Fry Oil PUERTO VALLARTA (PVDN) - A disturbing incident of animal abuse has sent shockwaves throughout Mexico, as a man allegedly threw a dog into a pot of boiling oil, resulting in the animal's tragic death. Authorities have detained the suspect for the assault on the dog and have issued an additional arrest warrant on charges of…
45 Bags of Human Remains Discovered in Jalisco PUERTO VALLARTA (PVDN) - A chilling discovery of 45 bags filled with human remains in a deep ravine in the El Mirador del Bosque neighborhood of Zapopan has escalated the search for seven missing youths last seen at a local call center. The Jalisco Attorney General's Office confirmed late Wednesday that the gruesome discovery was…
Two More Puerto Vallarta Beaches Are Awarded Blue Flags Puerto Vallarta (PVDN) - In the upcoming 2023-2024 season, Puerto Vallarta is set to host six beaches awarded with the Blue Flag accreditation, an esteemed international recognition for high environmental and quality standards. The Blue Flag committee has reconfirmed the status for four previously certified beaches while conferring this prestigious title to two new beaches…
‘Kingdoms of Mexico’ Distinction Launches to Boost Tourist Destinations With European Influences Puerto Vallarta (PVDN) - Miguel Torruco Marqués, the head of the Ministry of Tourism (Sectur), introduced the new 'Kingdoms of Mexico' distinction, a major initiative designed to enhance the appeal of Mexico's tourist communities on an international level. The announcement came during a presentation attended by the governors of Tlaxcala, Lorena Cuéllar Cisneros; Baja California,…
SEAPAL Vallarta Launches New Vallarta II Tank to Reinforce Drinking Water Supply PUERTO VALLARTA (PVDN) - SEAPAL Vallarta, the local water management authority, announced the successful integration and activation of the new Vallarta II Tank to its drinking water distribution system on Tuesday, May 30. This strategic addition is expected to enhance the availability of water in Vallarta homes, a pressing issue in the wake of the…
Investigation Continues Following Discovery of Skeletal Remains in Puerto Vallarta PUERTO VALLARTA (PVDN) – The mystery surrounding the discovery of skeletal remains in a rural area of Puerto Vallarta is yet to be resolved, according to State Prosecutor Luis Joaquín Méndez Ruiz. On his visit to Puerto Vallarta to participate in the Navy Day celebrations, the state prosecutor insisted the discovery is not a clandestine…
Puerto Vallarta Celebrates 105 Years as Municipality, 55 as City with Grand Anniversary Celebration PUERTO VALLARTA (PVDN) - Puerto Vallarta, one of the nation's favorite tourist destinations, celebrated the 105th anniversary of its elevation to a municipality and its 55th year as a city with a solemn session held in the central courtyard of the city's presidency. Presiding over the commemorative event was Mayor, Professor Luis Alberto Michel Rodríguez,…
It’s Getting a Little More Expensive for Americans Living in Mexico, Peso Surges to Over Seven-Year High Puerto Vallarta (PVDN) - The Mexican peso reached its highest level in more than seven years on Friday, June 2, driven by positive employment data from the United States. The country's stock market also experienced a notable rise as fears of a recession in the US diminished. At the close of trading, the peso was…- The Connection Between the Jalisco Cartel, Missing Employees at Call Center, 45 Bags of Body Parts, Timeshare Scams, and American Tourists PUERTO VALLARTA (PVDN) - More than a week after the initial disappearance of eight young workers at a call center in Zapopan, Jalisco, the case continues to be shrouded in mystery, leaving families distraught and demanding answers. The Jalisco Prosecutor's Office has made little progress in the investigation, according to the relatives of the missing…
He wants a medium-security prison? LOLOLOLOL