On Monday morning, U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., one of the cochairmen of the Florida delegation, said he was sponsoring a proposal from U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Ala., to “allow billions of dollars’ worth of assets seized from Mexican drug lord Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán Loera to help secure the southern border.”
Buchanan, who sits on the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee, said he was backing the “Ensuring Lawful Collection of Hidden Assets to Provide Order (EL CHAPO) Act” which “would set aside money forfeited to the U.S. government from El Chapo and other convicted drug lords to be used for increased security along the U.S.-Mexico border.”
“Guzman’s drug empire amassed an estimated $14 billion from narcotic sales responsible for destroying the lives of millions of Americans,” Buchanan said. “As President Trump looks to secure the southern border, Congress should pass this commonsense measure to use seized drug money to staunch the flow of drugs and violence into our communities.”
Earlier this month, Guzmán was found guilty of ten federal criminal charges ranging from weapons violations to drug trafficking. He will be sentenced in June while the fate of his $14 billion still undecided.
Buchanan isn’t the only congressman from the Sunshine State backing the bill as Florida Republican U.S. Reps. Matt Gaetz, Bill Posey, Dan Webster and Ted Yoho are also sponsoring the proposal which is before the U.S. House Judiciary Committee. While there are more than 30 cosponsors in the House, so far, Cruz hasn’t reeled in any cosponsors over in the Senate.
