Mexican drug lord's 'daughter' arrested in US

Woman claimed her father was Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán of the Sinaloa cartel after she was stopped at US border

US authorities believe they have arrested Alejandrina Gisselle Guzman Salazar, 31, daughter of Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman (above), leader of the Sinaloa cartel Photograph: Damian Dovarganes/AP

The daughter of one of the world's most sought-after drug lords has been charged with trying to enter the US on someone else's passport, American officials said.

Alejandrina Gisselle Guzmán Salazar, 31, was arrested on Friday at San Diego's San Ysidro border crossing and charged with fraud and misuse of visas and other documents.

US officials said she told authorities her father was Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, leader of Mexico's Sinaloa cartel. A woman of that name was charged on Monday in a San Diego federal court.

Kelly Thornton, a spokeswoman for the US attorney's office said she could not confirm the woman charged was Guzman's daughter.

The significance of the arrest will depend on what Guzmán Salazar can tell authorities about her father. David Shirk, director of the University of San Diego's Trans-Border Institute, said: "We don't know exactly what she knows. It may just be an interesting factoid in the war on drugs or it could be a vital clue for law enforcement … This is the kind of random development that could potentially shift the tides."

The arrest and investigation of Guzmán Salazar were handled by US customs and border protection, which oversees the nation's largest border crossing in San Diego. A bail hearing was scheduled for 25 October.

Authorities in the US and Mexico have said they believe Guzmán has children with several partners, though it is not clear how many. The US treasury has put sanctions on his sons Iván Archivaldo "El Chapito" Guzmán Salazar, 31, and Ovidio Guzmán Lopez, 22.

Read More: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/oct/16/mexican-drug-lord-daughter-held-us