'El Chapo' Guzmán to challenge extradition ruling: lawyer

Mexican drug boss Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán will file multiple legal challenges against Friday's ruling to extradite him, one of his lawyers said, a move that could delay his eventual transfer to face charges in the United States for weeks.

Mexico's Foreign Ministry on Friday approved Guzmán's extradition to the United States, and said it had received guarantees that the death penalty would not be sought against him.

The ministry said he would face charges including drug trafficking, money laundering and murder in U.S. federal courts in California and Texas.

Juan Pablo Badillo, one of Guzmán's lawyers, told Reuters he would file "many" legal challenges in the coming days.

"El Chapo" was the head of the Sinaloa drug cartel and one of the world's most wanted drug kingpins until his capture in January, six months after he broke out of a high-security jail in central Mexico through a mile-long tunnel.

The government recaptured him in January and President Enrique Peña Nieto said soon afterwards he had taken steps to ensure Guzmán was extradited as soon as possible.