Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán requested a transfer to Mexico on May 4, 2026 [1], alleging rights violations in his U.S. federal trial.

The request represents a strategic legal challenge by one of the world's most notorious drug lords to leave the U.S. prison system. A successful petition would shift the custody of the former Sinaloa Cartel leader back to Mexican authorities, potentially altering the conditions of his confinement.

Guzmán filed the petition with a federal court in the Eastern District of New York [2]. In the filing, he denounced alleged irregularities and violations of his rights that occurred during his judicial process in the United States [3]. He specifically requested extradition or transfer to Mexico to serve the remainder of his sentence [2].

According to reports, Guzmán reiterated that his judicial process in the U.S. was marked by presumed irregularities [3]. The former cartel leader has already been declared guilty in the U.S. system, but he continues to contest the legitimacy of the proceedings that led to his conviction [4].

Legal representatives for Guzmán have focused on procedural errors to support the request for transfer. The petition emphasizes the need for the defendant to be returned to his home country following the conclusion of the primary trial phases [4].

Court officials in New York have not yet issued a final ruling on the petition. The request remains under review as the court evaluates the claims of rights violations, and the feasibility of a transfer agreement between the U.S. and Mexico [2].

"Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán reiteró que su proceso judicial en Estados Unidos estuvo marcado por presuntas irregularidades," Guzmán said [3].

“Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán requested a transfer to Mexico on May 4, 2026.”

This legal maneuver highlights the ongoing tension regarding the treatment of high-profile foreign nationals in the U.S. federal prison system. While the U.S. typically maintains strict custody of extradited cartel leaders to ensure security and intelligence gathering, a successful transfer would signal a diplomatic shift or a concession to claims of procedural misconduct in the U.S. judiciary.