MEXICO CITY — A federal judge ruled against five appeals by convicted drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman in his legal battle to avoid extradition to the United States, the Mexican Attorney General’s Office said Thursday, but he can still appeal to higher courts.

The office said the judge denied two of Guzman’s appeals and threw out the other three.National Security Commissioner Renato Sales said last week that Guzman could be extradited in January or February. He is wanted on drug trafficking and other charges in the United States.

The leader of the Sinaloa Cartel has twice escaped from maximum-security prisons in Mexico, most recently in 2015.


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