MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico's Foreign Relations Department has ruled that the extradition of convicted drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman to the United States can go forward.

The process can still be appealed, meaning it could be weeks or months before the Sinaloa cartel leader may be sent north. Guzman's lawyers now have 30 days to appeal the decision.

The department said Friday that the United States has guaranteed that Guzman would not face the death penalty, which is not applied in Mexico.