Marco Rubio: Obama Could Have Brought Escaped Drug Kingpin Chapo Guzman to U.S.

From his perch as chairman of the U.S. Senate Western Hemisphere Subcommittee, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., said the U.S. needed to hold Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman if he is caught again. Guzman has now made his second escape from a Mexican prison. 

“Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman's escape has dealt a serious blow to all those working in good faith within the Mexican government, law enforcement and judiciary to give that nation a better future," Rubio said on Tuesday. “That’s a harder future to achieve as long as drug cartels run amok trafficking drugs, terrorizing the public, and poisoning the rule of law and democratic order that many generations of Mexicans have worked to achieve. The U.S. played a key role in assisting our Mexican partners in finding and arresting Guzman, and we should stand ready to help them find him again and bring to justice all those involved in this conspiracy.
 
“When Guzman is arrested again, the U.S. should pursue his extradition in accordance with our treaty with Mexico governing such cases,” Rubio added. “It is not clear to me why the Obama administration did  not formally request his extradition after his previous arrest in 2014. This is the second time Guzman has escaped from prison, and not only is he wanted for major crimes in the U.S., but we have the capabilities to bring him to justice.”