Mexico City, Jun 15 (AP) A man accused of being a senior lieutenant in the Sinaloa drug cartel has been extradited to the United States, Mexican prosecutors have said.

US officials had been trying for years to extradite Felipe Cabrera Sarabia, nicknamed "The Engineer", who allegedly had overseen cartel marijuana operations in the mountainous northern state of Durango and part of Chihuahua before his arrest in 2011.

Also Read | Italian Journalist Indro Montanelli's Statue Defaced, Tagged With Words 'Racist', 'Rapist'.

The official announcement of the extradition did not list his full name, but a federal official confirmed it, speaking on condition of anonymity for lack of authorization to discuss it publicly.

Officials said on Sunday he was considered one of the chief aides to convicted drug boss Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzman, who is in prison in the US.

Also Read | Poland Army 'Accidentally Occupied' Czech Republic Border Region in May Amid Misunderstanding Over COVID-19 Curbs.

He faces charges of drug trafficking in the Northern District of Illinois.

At the time of his arrest, the Mexican Army said Cabrera and three of his brothers began as marijuana growers and that Cabrera rose through the Sinaloa ranks by using violence against his rivals.

A month after his arrest, one of those brothers was killed in a gunfight with soldiers in Durangoi. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)