Ricardo Pascoe Pierce.
The extradition of Los Chapitos demanded by the United States is a missile to the floating line of AMLO’s government. It is a legal demand and a clear threat to the Mexican ruler.
The lawsuit filed with a New York prosecutor’s office demands that the Mexican government extradite Chapo Guzman’s four sons for drug trafficking to the United States and 56 other countries worldwide, including charges of murder, conspiracy, and tax fraud.
The lawsuit contains essential revelations about the drug trafficking situation in Mexico. One, in particular, stands out. It states that the intelligence agencies penetrated the highest levels of the Sinaloa Cartel to the extent that they accompanied the four sons in their secret meetings where they planned the steps to follow in the fentanyl manufacturing business, its transformation into pills, and subsequent trafficking to the United States and the world market. In other words, U.S. informants know what the four brothers discuss, what plans and actions they prepare, and, perhaps most importantly, they know with whom they meet.
It has long been rumored that the brothers have a special relationship with an emissary directly linked to the National Palace to maintain coordination between the two entities. The emissary has been in Sinaloa with them at critical moments, such as the situation that led to the arrest of Ovidio, the youngest brother of the four. The Americans know this, and without saying it openly, they are putting President López Obrador on notice that they know about his transactions with the Sinaloa Cartel.
The threat could not be more serious. It comes at a time when the relationship between Washington and Mexico City is at one of its lowest points. One only has to look at how the Americans made public the news of the extradition request to gauge the anger with the bilateral relationship.
It comes after a particularly humiliating meeting for President Lopez Obrador in Washington since his entire security cabinet attended and was received by an important but second-level U.S. official. Furthermore, with documents in hand, this official forced the Mexican delegation to recognize that fentanyl is produced in Mexico, contradicting what the Mexican president said. Immediately after that meeting, which Foreign Minister Ebrard described as “a success”, the United States dropped the bomb without the minimum courtesy of notifying its Mexican counterpart.
The security cabinet remained frozen and silent, with surprise on the faces and expressions of its members. Days later, a publication of confidential reports from the United States came out, which only added to the stupefaction of Mexican officials. There were reports of fractures between the Navy and the Army where an old conflict of distrust and suspicions of betrayal linked to drug trafficking and its influence in the military ranks underlies.
The U.S. government has decided to go on the offensive in Mexico because of the perceived danger of an alliance between factions of the Mexican State and drug traffickers. If this is the case, the upcoming presidential elections could serve as a parapet to consolidate the pact between the State and the narco, a fact that would tragically change the history of Mexico and its relationship with the United States.
The acid test will be the response of López Obrador’s government to the request for the extradition of Los Chapitos. If it acts quickly to arrest them and seriously initiate the process of their extradition, the message will be one. If it drags its feet in the procedure and avoids acting decisively, as in the case of Ovidio, the message is another. A “chorera” (deceitful) response over sovereignty and self-determination will be considered neither serious nor credible but evasive. In either case, there will be a response from the United States.
[email protected]
@rpascoep
Further Reading: