In a significant move, Mexico has extradited 29 drug cartel members to the United States, including notorious drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero, as the Trump administration intensifies its campaign against organized crime. This handover, one of the largest in the nation’s history, occurs amidst negotiations between Mexican officials and the U.S. government in response to President Trump’s imminent threat of imposing a 25% tariff on all imports from Mexico, set to take effect on Tuesday.
Major cartel figures among the extradited
The extradited individuals include both incarcerated convicts and those facing various accusations linked to drug trafficking and homicide. They were transported to eight different U.S. cities to face serious charges. Notably, among the extradited were leaders from five of the six Mexican drug cartels recently classified as “foreign terrorist organizations” by the Trump administration.
Rafael Caro Quintero, 72, co-founder of the Guadalajara cartel, is a long-time fugitive wanted for the brutal 1985 murder of U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena, a crime that severely strained U.S.-Mexico relations. Caro Quintero had previously been released in 2013 after a court overturned his initial 40-year sentence, leading to his return to drug trafficking and subsequent violent confrontations in Sonora.
“We will prosecute these criminals to the fullest extent of the law in honour 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,”
stated U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi regarding the extraditions.
Political implications and ongoing challenges
While the formal extradition processes remain in question—Mexico referred to the operation as a “transfer”—the move is seen as a strategic response to U.S. demands. The handover comes during a visit to Washington by top officials from Mexico, including Foreign Affairs Secretary Juan Ramón de la Fuente, who engaged with U.S. counterparts, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Also included in the extradition were Miguel Treviño Morales and his brother Omar Treviño Morales, former leaders of the disbanded Los Zetas cartel. The U.S. has accused them of continuing to orchestrate drug trafficking operations from prison through their successor, the Northeast Cartel. This development concludes a prolonged process following their captures in 2013 and 2015, which Mexico’s Attorney General Alejandro Gertz Manero previously criticized as “truly shameful.”
The extraditions align with Trump’s insistence on Mexico cracking down on cartels, illegal immigration, and fentanyl production, despite recent declines in migration and drug use in the U.S. The political landscape continues to evolve as both nations navigate their approach to combatting drug-related violence and economic relations.