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Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz wants El Chapo — the Mexican drug kingpin — to foot the bill for the U.S.-Mexico border wall, introducing a bill claiming the cocaine-tainted money seized from the drug lord could be used to build the wall.
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El Chapo, whose real name is Joaquin Guzman, is said to run the largest drug trafficking network in the world.
According to CNN, Cruz said in a statement, "Fourteen billion dollars will go a long way toward building a wall that will keep Americans safe and hinder the illegal flow of drugs, weapons, and individuals across our southern border," referring to the amount El Chapo is expected to pay the U.S.
"Ensuring the safety and security of Texans is one of my top priorities. We must also be mindful of the impact on the federal budget. By leveraging any criminally forfeited assets of El Chapo and his ilk, we can offset the wall's cost and make meaningful progress toward achieving President Trump's stated border security objectives," the senator's statement said.
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On Tuesday, Trump reassured that he will find a way to fund the border wall. "Don’t let the fake media tell you that I have changed my position on the wall,” Trump tweeted. “It will get built and help stop drugs, human trafficking, etc."
The cartel kingpin was extradited to the U.S. in January and pleaded not guilty to 17 counts of charges of manufacturing and distributing heroin, cocaine, marijuana and methamphetamine, along with money laundering.
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