Mexico handed over several well-known figures from the criminal underworld to U.S. authorities on Thursday, part of a sudden extradition that involved around 30 convicted or detained individuals accused of ties to violent drug cartels.
Some of the individuals are former leaders of gangs that dominated international cocaine and heroin trafficking networks decades ago. Others are younger leaders recently involved in trafficking large quantities of deadly fentanyl into the U.S.
Mexican authorities confirmed that officials handed over 29 prominent cartel figures to the U.S.
This move comes after continuous threats by President Donald Trump to impose tariffs on all Mexican goods, which, as he said yesterday, would take effect on March 4.
This is the most unusual and largest extradition effort undertaken by Mexico in years.
Attorney General Pamela Bondi, in a written statement, confirmed that the U.S. had received 29 individuals from the world of crime.
At least two of them – including Rafael Caro Quintero, who is suspected of being responsible for the murder of an American drug enforcement agent in 1985 – will appear before a federal court in Brooklyn on Friday, according to a source familiar with the case.
Other drug trafficking figures were also handed over, such as Antonio Oseguera Cervantes, the brother of Mexico’s most wanted drug lord, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, who heads the most powerful cartel, ‘Jalisco New Generation.’
U.S. authorities had offered a $15 million reward for any information leading to Nemesio’s capture, who is known as “El Mencho.”
U.S. officials say that ‘Jalisco New Generation’ is one of two main Mexican drug gangs, along with the infamous ‘Sinaloa’ cartel, responsible for flooding the U.S. with fentanyl in recent years.
A high-ranking figure in the ‘Sinaloa’ cartel, led by the sons of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán Loera, José Ángel “El Guerito” Canobbio, was also among those handed over by Mexican authorities.
This mass extradition marks a significant escalation compared to previous years.
Between 2019 and 2023, Mexico has handed over an average of about 65 crime suspects per year to the U.S., according to data provided by a U.S. official.
