'El Chapo'-linked Mexican politician facing impeachment

MEXICO CITY, Feb. 3 (UPI) -- Mexico's National Action Party is threatening to expel party members who oppose the impeachment of Lucero Guadalupe Sánchez López, a member of the state legislature in Sinaloa who is allegedly linked to drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman.

Sánchez López, 26, was elected in 2013 to represent the 16th district of the state of Sinaloa, in northwestern Mexico, where Guzman was born. She now faces impeachment proceedings over her alleged connections to Guzman, which include an allegation that she's the mother of one of Guzman's 18 children and that she spent New Year's Eve with the drug lord.

National Action Party President Ricardo Anaya on Tuesday said it was correct for Mexico's attorney general to expedite the impeachment request against Sánchez López.

"What is appropriate is that we political parties not become obstacles so justice can be administered in our country," Anaya told reporters. "I say clearly and forcefully, and with warning and no deceit: If a deputy of the National Action Party votes against this removal, I will personally promote his or her expulsion from the National Action Party."

Guzman has allegedly fathered 18 children with seven different women. Sánchez López admitted she met Guzman in 2013, but rejected accusations she saw him on New Year's Eve and that she's the mother of one of his children.

Sánchez López met Guzman, leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, months before her husband, a journalist, was shot dead. She is also accused of visiting Guzman using a fake identity while he was in Mexico's Altiplano Federal Prison months before he escaped.

Anaya said a press conference will be held on Monday where details of the case against Sánchez López will be disclosed and where the people who endorsed her 2013 campaign will also be identified.