Judge denies El Chapo extradition appeal

A federal judge rejected five appeals by jailed drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman to avoid extradition to the United States, a week after Mexico said it aimed to send him north of the border by early next year.

The legendary Sinaloa Cartel leader, who has twice escaped maximum-security prisons in Mexico, can still appeal to higher courts and his legal battle against extradition is expected to continue.

In a statement Thursday, Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office said the judge reviewed and denied two of Guzman’s appeals, and threw out three without considering them. Guzman lawyer, Jose Refugio Rodriguez, said he had not been officially informed of the court’s decision, but planned to formally acknowledge his notification next Tuesday.