US, Mexican Officials Meet to Discuss Guzmán Extradition

U.S. and Mexican authorities have kicked off discussions to plan the extradition of drug lord Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán Loera to the United States, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Justice announced on Jan. 14.

During a visit to Miami, Mexican Attorney General Arely Gómez González met with unidentified department officials to preview the proceedings, the first time officials from both nations have tackled the matter in face-to-face discussions, according to Reuters.

U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch last week made a point out of congratulating her counterpart on Mexico's recapture of Gúzman, who had escaped from a maximum-security prison last July. American officials have said more than one extradition petition is pending for the head of the powerful Sinaloa Cartel.

Mexican authorities back extradition

The Mexican government, meanwhile, changed course following Gúzman's rearrest and is now open to turning the drug lord over to the United States, CNN recalled based on a statement from the country's Attorney General's Office.

"With the capture of Guzmán Loera, it will be necessary to initiate the corresponding extradition procedures, which, in accordance with extradition law, consist of several steps," the Attorney General's Office said in the statement. "Once notified, the defendant is entitled to three days to present objections and 20 days to sustain them, though the latter term can be extended."

Appeals could delay turnover to U.S.

Guzmán is expected to fight extradition, and legal experts have predicted that the ensuing legal battle could last well over a year. An unidentified official from Mexico's foreign ministry told CNN that the kingpin's eventual extradition was "likely," but that the process would indeed take time.

"If the (foreign ministry) issues an agreement conceding (Guzmán's) extradition, the defendant has the right to request a stay against said determination," the Attorney General's Office explained, adding that the drug lord, a Mexican national, could appeal to two separate tribunals to delay or halt his turnover to U.S. authorities.