Jailed 'El Chapo' drug kingpin sends 'SOS' to Mexico president

Notorious drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman has appealed to Mexico's president for help due to alleged "psychological torment" he is suffering in a US prison, his lawyer said Tuesday.

"In the six years that Joaquin has been in the United States, he has not seen the sun," said Jose Refugio Rodriguez, a Mexico-based legal representative of the Sinaloa cartel founder.

The message, described as "an SOS," was transmitted via one of Guzman's lawyers in the United States as well as his family, Rodriguez said.

Guzman is only allowed outside three times a week to a small area where he "doesn't get the sun," and has fewer visits or phone calls than other inmates, the lawyer said in an interview with Radio Formula.

"He is suffering psychological torment," he said, adding that the lack of sunshine was also bad for the convicted drug trafficker's physical health.

Guzman wants President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to address alleged procedural violations during his extradition in 2017 under the former government, Rodriguez added.

The Mexican embassy in Washington confirmed on Twitter on Tuesday that it received an email from Rodríguez on January 10.

Without referring to the content of the email, Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard downplayed the chance of any government intercession in favor of the notorious drug trafficker.

"He is serving a sentence there, he has a sentence," he told journalists. "So, frankly I don't see any possibilities for him, but I'm going to review it with the prosecutor's office."

El Chapo is serving a life sentence in the United States after being convicted in 2019 of charges including drug trafficking, money laundering and weapons-related offenses.

One of his sons, Ovidio Guzman, was arrested by Mexican security forces this month in an operation that left 29 people dead and sparked a dramatic shootout at an airport in the city of Culiacan.

© Agence France-Presse