Among extradited cartel members is Rafael Caro Quintero wanted for the 1985 killing of a DEA agent. Extraditions come as U.S. tariffs on Mexican imports loom.
Mexico on Thursday extradited 29 cartel members, including a drug lord wanted for the 1985 murder of a U.S. agent, to the United States.
Those taken into U.S. custody from Mexico are convicts or others who have been accused of ties to violent drug cartels.
The individuals are facing charges relating to racketeering, drug trafficking, murder, illegal use of firearms, money laundering, and other crimes in the United States, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).
Among those extradited is Rafael Caro Quintero, a drug kingpin who is allegedly involved in the killing of Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent Enrique Camarena Salazar in 1985.
Caro Quintero had previously denied involvement in the murder. He was released in 2013 on a technicality by a Mexican judge and returned to drug trafficking before being recaptured in 2022.
“Caro Quintero, a cartel kingpin who unleashed violence, destruction, and death across the United States and Mexico, has spent four decades atop DEA’s most wanted fugitives list, and today we can proudly say he has arrived in the United States where justice will be served,” DEA acting administrator Derek Maltz said in a statement.
Maltz stated that Caro Quintero’s extradition is “extremely personal for the men and women of DEA,” who believe that he is responsible for “the brutal torture and murder” of Camarena Salazar.
“It is also a victory for the Camarena family. Today sends a message to every cartel leader, every trafficker, every criminal poisoning our communities: You will be held accountable,” he said.
Also extradited were Antonio Oseguera Cervantes, the brother of drug lord Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, who allegedly led the Jalisco New Generation cartel (CJNG), and Martin Sotelo, who is accused of participating in the 2022 murder of Deputy Sheriff Ned Byrd.
The DOJ stated that those extradited include “leaders and managers of drug cartels recently designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists,” such as the Sinaloa cartel, CJNG, Los Zetas, La Nueva Familia Michoacana, and Gulf cartel.
Mexico also transferred Miguel Trevino Morales and his brother, Omar Trevino Morales, both leaders of the violent drug trafficking organization Los Zetas, to U.S. authorities.
“As President Trump has made clear, cartels are terrorist groups, and this Department of Justice is devoted to destroying cartels and transnational gangs,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi stated. “We will not rest until we secure justice for the American people.”
