MEXICO CITY - A federal court has begun criminal proceedings against Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman's security chief, who was captured with him last week after a gun battle that killed five gunmen and wounded a marine.
Ivan Gastelum Avila, known as "El Cholo Ivan," faces charges of drug trafficking, arms possession and the murder of a soldier in a 2013 confrontation, according to a statement Thursday. Gastelum fled the house in Los Mochis, Sinaloa, during the firefight and escaped through the storm drains with Guzman. Both were later apprehended on a highway outside of town.
The attorney general's office also reported the arrest of Mauricio Sanchez Garza for extradition to Texas. According to authorities, he is one of the financial operators of Guzman's Sinaloa cartel. He faces charges of extortion and money laundering.
