A federal judge in New York has denied a series of handwritten requests from Joaquin Guzmán, the former leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, who sought extradition back to Mexico from his current confinement at ADX Florence Supermax prison in Colorado.
Judge Brian M. Cogan of the Eastern District of New York dismissed the requests in a brief opinion, stating that the documents submitted by Guzmán made no sense and lacked any legal merit. The denial came in response to multiple handwritten letters from the convicted drug trafficker, including one dated April 23 that was made public on Monday.
In his most recent letter, Guzmán wrote about what he described as violations of his rights and requested to be returned to Mexico, claiming issues with the evidence presented in his case. The 67-year-old former cartel boss also submitted an earlier letter on April 10 asserting violations of his First and Eighth Amendment rights, along with other correspondence requesting a retrial and documents concerning jury decisions.
Guzmán was convicted on February 12, 2019, on all ten counts of a superseding indictment that included charges of narcotics trafficking. The conviction followed a high-profile trial in New York City that lasted three months. Judge Cogan subsequently sentenced him to life imprisonment plus 30 years and ordered $12.6 billion in forfeiture.
Currently held under Special Administrative Measures at the Colorado facility, Guzmán faces extreme isolation conditions. He has no contact with other prisoners, remains under 24-hour monitoring, and spends between 22 and 24 hours daily in his cell. In letters published by Mexican media in 2025, Guzmán described the preventative measures at the prison, claiming he was approaching madness due to what he characterized as cruel and inhumane conditions.
The timing of Guzmán’s extradition request coincides with significant political developments in Mexico. Rubén Rocha Moya recently stepped down temporarily as governor of Sinaloa on Saturday, following unsealed indictments alleging conspiracy with Guzmán’s sons, known as the Los Chapitos faction of the Sinaloa cartel. The charges implicate Rocha Moya and nine other top Sinaloa officials.
During a Monday press conference in Sinaloa, Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection Omar García Harfuch defended the governor, stating that authorities had no prior indication of wrongdoing and had never encountered obstruction from state government officials in carrying out security operations. Harfuch confirmed that Rocha Moya is now under National Guard protection following a risk assessment conducted by the Ministry of Security, though he emphasized the governor had not requested such protection.
The Sinaloa congress approved Yeraldine Bonilla Valverde as interim governor on Sunday. In announcing his decision to step aside temporarily on Saturday, Rocha Moya stated he was doing so to allow the Attorney General’s Office of Mexico to investigate the accusations against him. He maintained his innocence, declaring he had not betrayed his constituents or family and would demonstrate this when required by the justice system.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has pledged not to provide cover for any politicians or state officials implicated in criminal activities. However, on Thursday she called upon the United States to provide irrefutable proof of the alleged crimes.
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