The United States apparently doesn’t want to trust drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman to Mexico’s Swiss-cheese prison system a third time and is trying to drag him north of the border — but the villain has ordered his private army of lawyers to prevent that.
Mexico began the extradition process — which could take anywhere from months to years to complete — yesterday by formally notifying the world’s top purveyor of poison that he is wanted in the United States and serving him two arrest warrants at Altiplano prison, where he has been held since being recaptured Friday.
Guzman’s defense has three days to present arguments against extradition and 20 days to present supporting evidence.
And then there will be the motions and appeals challenging the extradition itself. El Chapo’s attorney Juan Pablo Badillo has said the defense has already filed six motions to challenge extradition requests.
Badillo said that his client should not be extradited to the United States because “our country must respect national sovereignty — the sovereignty of its institutions to impart justice.”
A Mexican federal official said the quickest El Chapo could be extradited would be six months — but that is unlikely because of appeals. Even if the appeals are turned down, hearings must still be scheduled and arguments heard.
“That can take weeks or months, and that delays the extradition,” he said on condition of anonymity. “We’ve had cases that take six years.”
