Tomas Yarrington, a former governor of Tamaulipas, Mexico, was arrested Sunday in Italy after a five-year chase.
Yarrington was accused of organized crime and money laundering in 2012, according to NBC News. At the time, U.S. prosecutors alleged that Yarrington accepted millions of dollars in drug cartel bribes. The 60-year-old was allegedly taking that money and using it for real estate investments in Texas.
Yarrington had a government-provided bodyguard until late last year, and Mexico didn't offer a reward for his arrest until November, NBC News said.
Yarrington was believed to be living under a fake name, and both Mexico and the U.S. have requested for him to be extradited.
The process of deciding where Yarrington will be extradited to could take up to two months, according to Mexico News Daily.
One of the main things to be considered is the severity of the crimes in both Mexico and the U.S., and how their legal systems differ.
According to Mexico News Daily, if Yarrington was to be extradited in Mexico, then he could face up to 20 years in prison, but he could get more than 90 years if he was to be sent to the U.S.
Mexico sought an Interpol Red Notice – similar to an international arrest warrant – in December of 2012, and the U.S. didn’t seek a warrant until March of last year.
Yarrington was scheduled to appear in a courtroom on Wednesday in Florence, Italy, where he’ll find out whether he’ll remain behind bars or be put on house arrest.
Yarrington served as Tamaulipas’ governor from 1999 to 2005.
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