(CNN) A Mexican federal judge has ruled that reputed drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman can be extradited to the United States, according to a Monday news release from the Mexican Federal Court.

The decision was in response to a U.S. Department of Justice extradition request. The ruling does not immediately pave the way for the Sinaloa Cartel boss' extradition.

Guzman was transferred last week from the maximum-security Altiplano lockup in central Mexico to a prison in Ciudad Juarez, a senior Mexican law enforcement source told CNN.

"Due to the proximity (to the U.S.), it makes it easier to extradite him," the official said.

The exact reason for the move was unclear, but it comes one month after a Mexican lawyer leading his legal defense team said his client wanted to be extradited to the United States "as soon as possible" because conditions at Altiplano were unbearable and making him seriously ill.

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