US government seeks $14 billion in El Chapo case
By: The Associated Press
news@abc6.com
NEW YORK (AP) — A U.S. attorney in New York says the government is seeking a $14 billion forfeiture order as part of its prosecution of the notorious Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.
The convicted leader of the Sinaloa cartel was brought into a Brooklyn courthouse Friday to await his arraignment.
U.S. Attorney Robert Capers spoke at a press conference about the joint prosecution with the U.S. attorney in Miami.
He likened the drug trafficking to a cancerous tumor that spread, leading to “misery” for legions of Americans.
An indictment charges Guzman with running a massive drug trafficking operation that laundered billions of dollars and oversaw murders and kidnappings.
Guzman has twice escaped from maximum-security Mexican prisons, most recently in 2015.
His lawyer says his Thursday extradition was politically motivated.
©WLNE-TV / ABC6 2017
