Florence, Colorado - Former cartel boss and drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman has asked a US court to allow his extradition back to Mexico, despite facing a life sentence.
Guzman pleaded with a US court in Manhattan in a series of letters filed on Monday, arguing that his extradition to Mexico would be justified because making him serve a life sentence in a foreign country is "cruel."
Extradited in 2017 after escaping twice from Mexican prisons, Guzman is serving a life sentence at a maximum security facility in Colorado on multiple charges, including drug trafficking and money laundering.
"This is a polite letter (about) the hardcore evidence that wasn't proven for my case," Guzman wrote in English, according to one letter that was obtained and reviewed by the AFP.
In the letter, which was directed to the Eastern District Court of New York, Guzman asked that authorities recognize his "rights to be request back to my country."
It is implied that Guzman would serve out the remainder of his sentence in Mexico, though the letter does not specifically request this outcome.
In another missive on April 20, Guzman complained that his requests for the documents behind his sentencing have gone unanswered.
These documents won't justify "my cruel punishment," he added, claiming that "the verdict of my trial wasn't fair."
Guzman, who founded and led the notorious Sinaloa Cartel for many years, said he has been waiting for an appeal for three years, and invoked the protection of the "first to the fifth amendment."
The former trafficker has repeatedly complained in previous prison letters of isolation, poor conditions in his cell, and the lack of family visits.