Ovidio Guzman’s extradition from Mexico to the United States was suspended on Friday by a federal judge in Mexico City. This came after 29 people were killed the day before when suspected cartel members attempted to prevent Guzman’s capture by blocking off an airport and the area around a local army base.
The extradition of Guzman, the son of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman and a “major member of the Sinaloa cartel,” would not be instantaneous owing to legal technicalities, according to Mexico’s Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard. Additionally, Guzman is also facing legal issues in Mexico.
Guzman is sought for in the United States for the production or distribution of significant quantities of cocaine, methamphetamine, and marijuana there.
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He was taken prisoner by the Mexican military on Thursday during a midnight raid in a small village not far from Culiacan, the state capital of Sinaloa, Mexico.
Cars were reportedly burnt, the main airport was attacked, and Culiacan was besieged by alleged cartel members.
Flight AM165 between Culiacan and Mexico City was canceled due to security concerns, according to a statement from Aeromexico. “This morning, a bullet hit was found in the fuselage of an Embraer 190 jet that was preparing to start flight AM165,” the statement stated.
President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau are due in Mexico City two days after Guzman’s arrest to attend the North American Leaders Summit.
