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Lawyers for the world's most powerful drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman have cited U.S. Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump as one of the reasons why the Sinaloa Cartel leader should not be extradited to the United States, the CBS reported Saturday.
El Chapo's defense team accused Trump of creating a hostile environment toward Mexicans by saying late last year that Mexico exports rapist, drug traffickers, assassins and huge amounts of drugs to the United States.
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In one of the appeals against El Chapo's extradition, his lawyers stated it would be impossible for the world's number one drug criminal to face a fair trial in the United States, “given the hostile environment there toward Mexicans created by Donald Trump.”
According to CBS, El Chapo's lawyers are expected to launch a strong case against Mexico handing Guzman over to U.S. authorities.
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When El Chapo was first recaptured in February 2014 after 13 years on the run, the Mexican government said he was accused of so many crimes in Mexico that he would not be extradited in about 300 years.
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After the embarrassing spectacular escape through a one-mile tunnel July 11, 2015 and his second recapture Jan. 8, the Mexican government completely reversed their stance by saying they were already negotiating the drug lord's extradition, which they said could happen as soon as this year.
The New York Times reported this Saturday that Guzman's lawyers had expressed concern over the “hostile environment” created by Trump against all Mexicans, who they say were insulted by the Republican candidate.
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The New York newspaper added that, “Trump, who has since made illegal immigration a cornerstone of his presidential bid, has publicly targeted the drug kingpin before.”
CBS said that, “Because of the candidate's comments, Guzman reportedly placed a $100 million bounty on Trump's head.”
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The U.S. news outlet added that Trump charged that Guzman and Mexican cartels treated the U.S.-Mexico border "like it was a vacuum cleaner, sucking drugs and death right into the U.S."
The added that an unverified Twitter account claiming to belong to El Chapo sent Trump a threatening message in response.
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