EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) — Federal prosecutors say a high-ranking member of the Sinaloa cartel who was indicted along with Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman has been extradited to El Paso from Mexico.
According to a news release from the Justice Department, Daniel Franco Lopez is accused of coordinating murders and kidnappings and the shipments of tons of cocaine and marijuana into the U.S.
Also known as “Micha,” “Neon,” and “Fer,” Lopez was indicted along with Guzman and alleged Sinaloa cartel co-founder Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada Garcia, as well as over a dozen co-defendants. Although he was arrested on Aug. 14, 2012, he has been in Mexican custody since.
The head of the Drug Enforcement Administration in El Paso said Lopez was defendant No. 16 in the indictment.
Prosecutors say he appeared in federal court on Monday and noted that his extradition is one of many “significant pieces in a very large cartel case that spans more than a decade.”
Investigators also likened the case to a Hollywood movie script.
“You know the film … cartels, guns, drugs, money, feds,” said Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey C. Boshek II of the ATF Dallas Field Division. “Fortunately for the citizens of the United States, the good guys prevailed in this one. Mr. Lopez, an alleged underground criminal mastermind, left a path of destruction in his path. The American people are safer with this bandit in handcuffs and behind bars.”
Lopez faces numerous charges:
- One count of RICO conspiracy
- Two counts related to conspiracy to possess and import over five kilograms of cocaine and over 1,000 kilograms of marijuana
- One count of conspiracy to launder monetary instruments
- One count of conspiracy to possess firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking crimes and aid and abet,
- One count of engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise in furtherance of drug trafficking.
If convicted, Lopez faces up to life in prison.
“Not only are we grateful for the enduring and successful efforts of our federal law enforcement partners at the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), FBI, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), but I want to emphasize our goal to put an end to these organizations is shared by this U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Justice Department, and our counterparts in Mexico,” said Margaret Leachman, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas.
Read: Read More