The extradition of alleged drug trafficker Ovidio Guzman from Mexico to the U.S. was halted Friday by a federal judge in Mexico City, a day after suspected cartel members blocked off an airport and areas outside a local army base in an unsuccessful effort to thwart Guzman's capture, leading to 29 deaths, CNN reports.
Mexico's Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said extraditing Guzman, the son of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman and a "senior member of the Sinaloa cartel," would not be immediate due to the formalities of the law. Guzman also has ongoing legal proceedings in Mexico.
Guzman is wanted in America for the manufacturing or distributing of substantial amounts of cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana into the U.S.
He was captured Thursday by Mexican armed forces in an overnight raid in a small town just outside the city of Culiacan, the capital of the Mexican state of Sinaloa.
Alleged cartel members have reportedly besieged Culiacan, burned vehicles and attacked the main airport.
"This morning, a bullet impact was detected in the fuselage of an Embraer 190 plane that was ready to start flight AM165 on the Culiacan-Mexico City route, which was canceled for security reasons," Aeromexico said in a statement.
Guzman's arrest comes two days before President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau are scheduled to visit Mexico City to attend the North American Leaders Summit.
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