In an unprecedented move, Mexico has extradited 29 drug cartel figures, including notorious drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero, to the United States. This action comes as the Trump administration intensifies its efforts to combat drug trafficking organizations.
The extradition coincides with high-level meetings in Washington, where Mexican officials are negotiating to prevent the imposition of 25% tariffs on all Mexican imports. The prisoners were transported from various prisons across Mexico to an airport north of Mexico City, where they boarded planes bound for eight U.S. cities.
Among those extradited were members of five of the six Mexican organized crime groups recently designated as “foreign terrorist organizations” by the Trump administration. Notable figures include cartel leaders, security chiefs from the Sinaloa cartel, and a man wanted for the 2022 killing of a North Carolina sheriff’s deputy.
Vicente Carrillo Fuentes, former leader of the Juarez cartel and brother of the infamous drug lord Amado Carrillo Fuentes, was also among those handed over to U.S. authorities. The extradited individuals face charges related to drug trafficking and homicide.
U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi stated, “We will prosecute these criminals to the fullest extent of the law in honor of the brave law enforcement agents who have dedicated their careers — and in some cases, given their lives — to protect innocent people from the scourge of violent cartels.”
The extradition aligns with President Trump’s demands for Mexico to crack down on cartels, illegal immigration, and fentanyl production. Former DEA chief of international operations Mike Vigil described the move as “historical” and a significant victory for the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Caro Quintero, a long-time target of the DEA, was released from prison in 2013 after serving 28 years for the 1985 kidnapping and murder of DEA agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena. He resumed drug trafficking and was arrested again in 2022. The Trump administration renewed efforts to extradite him, and his handover could allow U.S. prosecutors to try him for Camarena’s murder.
The extradition also included two leaders of the now-defunct Los Zetas cartel, Miguel and Omar Treviño Morales. Their removal marks the end of a lengthy process that began with their captures in 2013 and 2015, respectively.
Mexican security analyst David Saucedo noted that the extradition is a significant concession by Mexico’s government to the United States. However, he warned that it could provoke a violent response from drug trafficking groups against the Mexican state.
Source: NPR
