MEXICO CITY — In a significant move aimed at curbing drug trafficking, Mexico has extradited 29 key cartel figures to the United States, including notorious drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero. Caro Quintero, known for his role in the murder of a U.S. DEA agent in 1985, was among those handed over as the U.S. pressures Mexico to tackle organized crime.
This large-scale transfer of high-profile criminals occurred amid diplomatic visits by Mexican officials to Washington, seeking to negotiate with the U.S. to prevent 25% tariffs on all Mexican imports, scheduled to begin on Tuesday. The prisoners, sourced from various Mexican prisons, were flown from an airport near Mexico City to different U.S. cities. Among these were members from Mexico’s top criminal organizations, previously labeled as terrorist entities by the Trump administration.
In the noteworthy extradition list besides Caro Quintero were leaders and operatives from various Mexican cartels, including a suspect linked to the 2022 killing of a North Carolina sheriff’s deputy. High-profile figures such as Vicente Carrillo Fuentes, a past leader of the Juarez cartel, which operated on the border near El Paso, Texas, were also included. Both Mexican and U.S. prosecutors indicated that these individuals face numerous charges ranging from drug trafficking to homicides.
The U.S. Attorney General expressed determination to legally pursue these criminals for the protection of the public against the perils of violent drug cartels. Thursday’s operation aligns with official discussions in Washington, where Mexican Foreign Affairs Secretary Juan Ramón de la Fuente, along with other top officials, engaged counterparts including U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. A key condition for delaying U.S. tariffs involved Mexico’s action against cartels and illegal drug production, despite seeing declines in recent migration and drug overdose cases.
According to Mike Vigil, a former DEA official, this level of cooperation is unprecedented in Mexico’s history and is a notable success for U.S. drug enforcement efforts. The extradition of Caro Quintero, a long-sought priority for U.S. agencies, signifies cooperation built over weeks. After a controversial release in 2013 from Mexican prison, Caro Quintero had resumed drug-related activities until his capture in 2022. Various factors, including a victim advocacy group’s appeal to the White House, influenced this extradition.
The decision to transfer these criminals, particularly Caro Quintero, took place amidst U.S. trade tensions, with President Trump identifying key Mexican cartels as terrorist groups. An official noted that President Claudia Sheinbaum’s administration favored U.S. relations by forgoing the formal extradition treaty procedures, possibly allowing new charges in the United States not covered in previous warrants.
Additional extraditions include former leaders of the Los Zetas cartel, Miguel Treviño Morales and Omar Treviño Morales, who ran operations from prison. The process to extradite these figures started years ago and faced various delays. Political and security analysts like David Saucedo view this as a notable concession by Mexico to U.S. demands, foreseeing potential backlash from drug cartels accustomed to operating from Mexican prisons.
Such transfers could disrupt arrangements whereby Mexican criminals serve sentences locally, allowing criminal enterprises to operate with less oversight. This strategic handover marks a pivotal response by Mexico’s government to U.S. economic and security pressures, possibly provoking significant reactions from affected criminal organizations.