El Chapo’s Sinaloa Cartel ‘Financial Officer’ Extradited From Mexico to U.S. to Face Charges
The man, who allegedly oversaw Sinaloa Cartel boss Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman's financial operations to the U.S., was extradited from Mexico to the U.S. on Sunday, August 1.
According to Daily Mail, Jorge Perez was handed over to U.S. federal agents at Mexico City International Airport, and he was flown to Washington, D.C., where he will be facing multiple charges.
Jorge Perez: Financial Officer of El Chapo
The Attorney General's Office of Mexico said Jorge Perez reportedly functioned as financial officer of the transnational drug cartel. Perez was accused of overseeing the Sinaloa Cartel's cash flow and in charge of trafficking drugs from Latin America to the U.S.
The Attorney General's Office of Mexico further noted that Perez also functioned as the middle man between the Sinaloa Cartel and other drug trafficking groups in Colombia and Guatemala.
These transnational criminal organizations allegedly sent cocaine shipments to Mexico before they were smuggled across the U.S. southwestern border.
The extradition of Perez came as U.S. officials continue to keep an eye on the Sinaloa Cartel. A report said the business of the Sinaloa Cartel continues to thrive despite the arrest of its boss, El Chapo, who is currently being held in a U.S. "supermax" prison.
Since his arrest on May 14, 2016, Jorge Perez has been in the custody of Mexican authorities. He was detained at the Altiplano prison, where El Chapo escaped through a tunnel underneath his cell's bathroom.
The Arrest of Other Leaders of Sinaloa Cartel
Jorge Perez, who is facing multiple drug trafficking related charges, was the second Sinaloa Cartel's high-level manager that made the headlines over the past week.
On July 28, Jose Sanchez Villalobos, the builder of the narco tunnels linking Tijuana on the Mexican side and San Diego on the U.S. side, was sentenced to 10 years and a month in custody for a drug distribution conspiracy by a San Diego federal court.
These state-of-the-art narco tunnels used by the Sinaloa Cartel and El Chapo had been fully equipped with a hydraulic elevator, electric rail cars, lighting, and storeroom.
Last December, Villalobos pleaded guilty to planning, financing, and supervising the construction of several cross-border tunnels from 2010 to 2012. He also pleaded guilty in overseeing the Sinaloa Cartel's operation as smuggling conduits in a plea agreement.
U.S. authorities said Villalobos, who was reported to be the regional manager of the Sinaloa Cartel, was also responsible for transporting drugs in Baja, California, and Jalisco in Mexico. They further noted that Villalobos has also overseen marijuana transport from southern Mexico to northern Mexico.
Meanwhile, El Chapo's wife, Emma Coronel Aispuro, pleaded guilty in June to a range of charges, including conspiracy to distribute illegal drugs.
She could face life in prison with a fine of up to $10 million. El Chapo's wife also pleads guilty to playing a role in her husband's escape from prison in 2015.
Aispuro reportedly made a plea agreement. Her attorney, Jeffrey Lichtman, earlier said that Aispuro was happy to put the case behind her.
READ MORE: Cartel Wives: How Kingpins' Wives Operate in Mexico's Notorious Sinaloa Cartel
This article is owned by Latin Post
Written by: Jess Smith
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