Mexican Drug Lord ‘El Chapo' Files Appeals Against Extradition

Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman faces drug trafficking and other charges from seven U.S. federal prosecutors

Lawyers for Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman have filed two appeals against his extradition to the United States.

The appeals argue the statute of limitations has run out on some crimes Guzman is accused of committing in the U.S., lawyer Jose Refugio Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez said the defense also argues that the allegations against Guzman are based on hearsay, not direct evidence.

The appeals were filed late Monday in courts in Mexico City, Rodriguez said Tuesday. He predicted it could take as long as three years to resolve them.

Mexico's Foreign Relations Department ruled in May that El Chapo's extradition could move forward.

In all, Guzman faces drug trafficking and other charges from seven U.S. federal prosecutors, including in Chicago, New York, Miami and San Diego.

Guzman was arrested in January after almost six months on the run following his escape from a maximum-security prison through a mile-long tunnel that opened to the floor of his shower.

He had already escaped once before in 2001 and spent more than a decade as one of the world's most wanted fugitives until he was recaptured in 2014.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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