A judge in Mexico has granted a temporary stay of extradition for the Mexican drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán until arguments can be heard on two appeals filed by his lawyers.

Guzmán’s lawyer, José Refugio Rodriguez, said one of the appeals argued that the statute of limitations has run out on some crimes Guzmán is accused of in the United States. The defense also argues that some of the accusations against Guzman are based on hearsay, not direct evidence.

Rodriguez said the appeals were filed late Monday in courts in Mexico City.



He predicted it could take as long as three years to resolve the appeals.



In all, Guzmán faces drug trafficking and other charges from seven US federal prosecutors, including in Chicago, New York, Miami and San Diego.

Mexico’s foreign relations department ruled in May that the extradition can go forward, in part because the United States has guaranteed that Guzmán would not face the death penalty. Mexico has abolished capital punishment and does not extradite its citizens if they face possible execution.

Guzmán faces an extradition request from a Texas federal court related to charges of conspiracy to import and distribute cocaine and marijuana, money laundering, arms possession and murder, and another extradition request from a federal court in California related to drug trafficking.

Guzmán was arrested in January after almost six months on the run following his escape from a maximum-security prison through a mile-long tunnel that opened to the floor of his shower.

He had already escaped once before, in 2001, and spent more than a decade as one of the world’s most wanted fugitives until he was recaptured in 2014.