Durazo Extradition Upheld

A federal appeals court today refused to block the extradition of former Mexico City Police Chief Arturo Durazo, attorneys said. Mexican officials want Durazo to stand trial on charges he illegally amassed a fortune by making extortion demands on men under his command between 1976 and 1982.

Attorneys for Durazo plan to appeal the decision by the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, and ask U.S. Supreme Court Justice William H. Rehnquist for a last-minute stay preventing the 68-year-old Durazo’s return to Mexico, said Bernard Zimmerman, one of Durazo’s lawyers. If Rehnquist refuses to intervene, the U.S. State Department can order Durazo’s immediate extradition.