Life in Sinaloa, Mexico Worse After 'El Chapo' Guzman's Arrest?

Mexico's capture of Sinaloa Cartel leader Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzmán has resulted to praises for President Enrique Peña Nieto. However, in the drug lord's Sinaloa home state, his arrest didn't come off as positive.

Plenty of residents in the state, where Guzmán was captured by Mexican marines on Friday morning, regard the narcotics kingpin as El Señor (the Lord), an almost mythical figure who inspires both respect and fear to the people, the New York Times wrote.

Ismael Pimental, a fruit vendor in Los Mochis, described the drug lord as "good and intelligent," and "treats the people he does business with the right way," the New York Times reported.

The world views Guzmán and his organization as criminals who defy the law and damage Mexico, but the locals don't think this way. For them, the cartel maintains order more efficiently than the government, and is reliable when it comes to helping deliver basic necessities, the news outlet added.

According to Pimental, thieves "get beaten for a first offense," while punishment for a second one "is far harsher by the cartel than it would be by the police," the New York Times reported. Mexico's street justice may be brutal for some people, but at least there's justice being done. With Guzmán now gone, many fear that violence will run rampant again.

There are also concerns about a possible commotion in the ranks of the Sinaloa Cartel. Martha López, whose home is near the one where Guzmán was captured after a gun fight, said that she is "worried that all those young men that were employed by him are going to be left hanging jobless," the news outlet noted.

The Sinaloa Cartel has built schools, houses, and hospitals in poor communities, the New York Times listed. Pimental said that people usually called the cartel's members when they need help with plumbing or electrical issues, instead of seeking the assistance of a state bureaucracy that is frequently ineffective. In Los Mochis, a city in Sinaloa, many people credit the cartel for establishing stability, with homicides and kidnappings also going down sharply.

On Sunday, Mexican officials have formally begun extraditing Guzmán to the United States, a lengthy process which could be plagued with legal appeals and maneuvering, Chicago Tribune reported. Guzmán's defense now has three days to present arguments against extradition and 20 days to provide supporting evidence. There are other appeals the defense have already begun filing.

Guzmán faces federal indictments in Chicago, San Diego, Texas, Florida, and the southern and eastern districts of New York, the news outlet listed.