MEXICO CITY, May 18 (UPI) -- Mexico has begun taking steps to extradite the lead suspect in the killing of a U.S. agent even before Washington makes a formal request, officials said.
Julian "Tweety Bird" Zapata Espinoza is in a Mexican jail. The attorney general's office said a new arrest warrant was served last week in a beginning to the extradition process, the Houston Chronicle reported Tuesday.
Rocho Torres, a spokeswoman for the attorney general, said extradition from Mexico can take anywhere from months to years.
Two Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, Jaime Zapata, who was not related to the suspect, and Victor Avila, were gunned down in mid-February as they drove between Mexico City and the Texas border. Avila survived.
Zapata and 11 others were arrested in late February in San Luis Potosi.
Investigators are unsure if the shooters knew Zapata and Avila were with ICE. They were in a U.S. Embassy sport utility vehicle that resembled ones used by the leaders of drug gangs. Police said some of the suspects said they believed the two men were members of another gang.
