Joaquin Guzman Loera, better known as El Chapo, was recently handed over to United States authorities by the Mexican Government. El Chapo was the notorious drug lord in charge of the Sinaloa Cartel, one of the most violent and successful cartels. NBC news reported, “A turf war between the Sinaloa and Juarez cartels in Ciudad Juárez claimed 10,000 lives between 2008 and 2012.” El Chapo was named public enemy number one by Chicago for the first time since Al Capone. This is the third time El Chapo has been in the hands of legal officials. The previous two times, he managed to escape from Mexican prisons. With his extradition to America, his chances of escaping again have been greatly reduced, but precautions are still being taken. Law enforcement said the Brooklyn Bridge will be closed during his transport to court in New York. At Pleasant Valley, Klaus Storl-Desmond, junior, believes security won’t be a problem. “The cartel members only follow the strong, and now that El Chapo is going to be in U.S. prison, he is weak.” El Chapo himself said that even without him the cartel will continue its operations.

He arrived on U.S. soil only a few hours before Trump was sworn into office. As a part of the deal with Mexico, El Chapo cannot receive the death penalty, even though his crimes more than qualify him for it. Storl-Desmond stated his thoughts on this deal. “He accomplished a lot in his life & set the bar high for the next drug lord, but it is time for his reign of terror to end.” Storl-Desmond thinks he should be executed and the deal with Mexico is not right.  El Chapo is being charged with kidnapping, money laundering, murder, and the manufacturing and distribution of several drugs, including over 200 metric tons of cocaine. He has plead not guilty to all of these charges and is currently awaiting trial in Brooklyn, New York.