Extradition Of Mexican Drug Lord "El Chapo" To US Is Approved

Henry Romero / Reuters

A Mexican judge on Thursday approved the extradition of drug cartel leader Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán to the United States.

The court denied the Sinaloa Cartel leader’s bid to stop his extradition, according to a statement from the Attorney General of Mexico. However, his attorneys are expected to continue to try and prevent Guzman from being sent to the US.

The approval came just days after a Mexican federal judge who had overseen Guzmán’s extradition case was gunned down while jogging near his home.

Guzmán’s escape from a federal maximum security prison last year through an elaborate tunnel, captivated the world. It was also a major embarrassment for Mexico’s government, which had rebuffed earlier extradition requests by the U.S.

It was the second time Guzmán managed to escape from a maximum security prison in Mexico. In 2001, he fled Puente Grande prison, where he had been incarcerated since 1993.

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