'El Chapo' Guzmán Extradition: Mexican Judge Rules In Favor Of Drug Lord Transfer

Rumors of Joaquín ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán’s extradition swirled around as he was transferred to a different prison, Cefereso No.9, during the weekend. Perhaps it was because the new penitentiary the drug lord was placed in is very near to El Paso, Texas, but mostly, it was because a federal judge ruled the extradition as "legitimate," as the Federal Judiciary Council reported.

The ruling means that the Mexican Foreign Ministry has 20 business days to decide whether or not to extradite Guzmán.

However, the kingpin’s lawyer, José Refugio did say that the ruling in favor of the extradition and the transfer to Cefereso had been coincidental. "This isn't to say that (the ruling) was the reason for the move," Refugio explained.

Those who remain skeptical about the extradition have good reason since Guzmán has entered numerous pleas to overturn the extradition, and this time was no exception. A CJF official told EFE that the Sinaloa cartel boss’s defense entered yet another plea to stop or at least stall his potential extradition to the U.S.

As previously mentioned, Mexican authorities are taking extreme precautionary measures to prevent a third escape on Guzmán’s part, which is why he was transferred to one of the country’s worst rated prisons.

The facility is said to have terrible living conditions for inmates but has reportedly scored well on “conditions of governability,” which is probably why the Mexican authorities chose it.

Even though Altiplano (Guzmán’s former prison) is considered Mexico’s highest security jail, reports indicate that rotating inmates from prison to prison is a standard practice to interrupt any potential elaborate plans of escape.

Chihuahua Governor, Cesar Duarte, doesn’t believe this has any implication of risk for his state. “The decision to have him brought here is because there will be no escape," Duarte told the press. “If he was brought here from Altiplano it's because the security conditions are way above those of Altiplano, that's what the federal government settled on. ... So there is no risk of escape.”