Drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman appeared in a U.S. court on Friday after his surprise extradition from Mexico and pleaded not guilty to charges that he ran the world's largest drug-trafficking organization during a decades-long criminal career, APA reports quoting Reuters.
El Chapo (Spanish for "Shorty"), who twice made dramatic escapes from Mexican prisons and was one of the world's most wanted drug lords, was accompanied by two lawyers during the appearance in federal court in Brooklyn.
The extradition came on the eve of Donald Trump's inauguration, a coincidence some officials said was an olive branch to the incoming U.S. president who declared he would kick Guzman's "ass" on taking office.
The Mexican attorney general's office rejected claims the move was related to Trump's swearing-in, noting that Guzman faces 10 pending cases in Mexico following his U.S. sentence.
Guzman, 59, wore a blue jump suit and had no visible expression on his face as he entered the courtroom and listened to questions from a judge. He did not appear to be wearing handcuffs. Guzman's lawyers declined to comment to reporters.
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