Mexico City: Mexico`s powerful drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman has sought to prevent any extradition bid by the United States, where he faces charges for smuggling massive amounts of cocaine.
Federal prosecutors in New York have announced plans to request Guzman`s extradition for smuggling tonnes of narcotics, and several other US cities have indicted him on a slew of charges.
The 56-year-old Sinaloa cartel boss is already facing drug trafficking and organised crime charges, with a Mexican judge required to decide by today whether to put him on trial.
After 13 years on the run, the 56-year-old drug lord was captured by Mexican marines in a Pacific beach town on Saturday following a US-backed manhunt that involved a drone and cellphone taps.
His lawyers filed documents on Sunday and yesterday seeking an injunction to prevent any extradition. A Mexican judge must decide whether to approve the injunction.
Mexican officials have yet to say whether they would accept a US extradition request.
Raul Benitez Manaut, a security expert at Mexico`s National Autonomous University, said the injunction, known as an "amparo," is a tactic for "Guzman to stay in Mexico and delay the case."
An extradition can take a long time to take place because a suspect must first be convicted in Mexico, he said.
After a court convicts a suspect, Mexican authorities must then decide whether to extradite the convict immediately or make him serve his sentence in Mexico.
In Guzman`s case, he would also have to finish the remaining 12 years of a 20-year sentence he avoided by escaping in 2001.
