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Mexico transferred 29 high-profile figures linked to the country’s criminal underworld to US authorities on Thursday, a significant extradition of convicts and suspects tied to violent drug cartels.
Among those extradited were aging gang leaders who once controlled international drug trafficking networks dealing in cocaine and heroin decades ago, as well as younger figures involved in the recent surge of fentanyl smuggling into the US.
Mexican officials confirmed the handover of 29 cartel members to the U.S. This move comes amid ongoing threats from US President Donald Trump to impose sweeping tariffs on Mexican goods, which he announced would take effect on March 4.
Reuters reported the unusual handover, Mexico’s largest in years, before the U.S. and Mexican governments announced it.
U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi, in a written statement, confirmed the U.S. had taken the 29 defendants into custody.
At least two of the defendants – including Rafael Caro Quintero, who is alleged to have been among those responsible for the 1985 murder of a U.S. anti-narcotics agent – will be arraigned on Friday in Brooklyn federal court, a person familiar with the matter said.
Also handed over are newer narcos such as Antonio Oseguera Cervantes – the brother of Mexico’s most-wanted drug lord, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, who leads the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel.
U.S. authorities have offered a $15 million reward for any information leading to the arrest of Nemesio, known as ”El Mencho.”
U.S. authorities say CJNG is one of the two major Mexican drug gangs, along with the notorious Sinaloa Cartel, responsible for pushing fentanyl onto U.S. streets over the past few years.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsA high-ranking figure in the wing of the Sinaloa Cartel led by the sons of Joaquin ”El Chapo” Guzman Loera, Jose Angel ”El Guerito” Canobbio, was also among those turned over.
The mass extradition marks a significant escalation compared to past years.
Between 2019 and 2023, Mexico extradited an average of some 65 wanted criminal suspects per year to its northern neighbor, according to data provided by a U.S. official.
Caro Quintero to face drug-trafficking charges
Caro Quintero, a 72-year-old co-founder of the once-powerful Guadalajara Cartel, was extradited to New York, where he faces drug-trafficking charges. Quintero spent 28 years in prison for the brutal 1985 murder of former DEA agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena, a case that remains one of the most infamous in Mexico’s violent drug wars. Released in 2013 on a legal technicality, Quintero returned to drug trafficking before being recaptured by Mexican authorities in 2022.
The extradition of Quintero and nearly 30 other cartel figures to the U.S. was described by a former U.S. official as a strong message: “We will never forget if you harm or kill one of our agents.” Quintero has previously denied involvement in Camarena’s murder.
The accused traffickers were sent to eight U.S. cities, including Phoenix, Chicago, Houston, and Washington. Among them were two former leaders of the notoriously violent Zetas gang, Miguel Angel Trevino Morales (Z-40) and Oscar Omar Trevino Morales (Z-42). Known for their brutal tactics, such as dissolving rivals in acid, the Trevino brothers were captured by Mexican soldiers over a decade ago. Their lawyer, Juan Manuel Delgado, told Reuters he had not been officially informed of their extradition.
The mass extradition comes as U.S. President Donald Trump threatens to impose 25% tariffs on all Mexican goods, citing insufficient progress in curbing fentanyl-related deaths and migration flows. Mexico, which sends 80% of its exports to the U.S., faces significant economic risks from such tariffs.
With inputs from agencies