Mexican authorities have issued an order for actress Kate del Castillo to be found and questioned about her links to drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.

The attorney-general’s office formally asked del Castillo last month to testify amid an investigation into whether Guzman invested in her tequila brand.

But the Mexican-American actress, who lives in Los Angeles, never appeared before the authorities.

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An official at the attorney-general’s office said prosecutors had now issued an “order to locate” and bring her in for questioning as a witness.

The 43-year-old actress filed court papers last week seeking an injunction that would block any potential arrest.

A judge has to rule on her request.

Del Castillo has been in the spotlight since it was revealed that she arranged a meeting between Guzman and US actor Sean Penn in October, three months before the Sinaloa drug cartel leader’s capture.

Guzman, who tunnelled his way out of prison in July, was recaptured on January 8.

Del Castillo, famous for her role as a drug lord in the TV show La Reina del Sur [The Queen of the South], has vowed to tell her side of the story, but she is yet to do so.