The latest transfer of Mexican prisoners to US custody took place Tuesday morning, according to a joint statement from Mexico’s attorney general and security ministry. They noted that all of the inmates faced extradition orders and that US authorities have ruled out any death sentence for those turned over.
A separate statement from the US embassy in Mexico described the transfer as involving “high-profile fugitives,” without listing them. It did specify that among the group are key members of Mexico’s most powerful crime syndicates, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and the Sinaloa Cartel.Also Read: Fed chair search expands to include Bowman, Jefferson and Logan
Both groups oversee extensive smuggling routes and are blamed for moving massive amounts of illicit drugs, including the deadly synthetic opioid fentanyl, into US territory. The embassy added that those sent to the US face criminal charges there, including drug trafficking and money laundering.
“These 26 men have all played a role in bringing violence and drugs to American shores — under this Department of Justice, they will face severe consequences for their crimes against this country,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi in a separate statement later Tuesday.
Among the inmates sent to the US are Abigael Gonzalez Valencia, a leader of Los Cuinis Cartel, responsible for cocaine trafficking into the US, and Leobardo Garcia Corrales, believed to be a member of the Sinaloa Cartel who sent fentanyl into the US, the Department of State added.
The move marks the second time this year the Mexican government has sent a group of alleged criminals to the US. In February, a group of 29 senior drug traffickers, including Rafael Caro Quintero, implicated in the 1980s murder of a Drug Enforcement Administration agent, were transferred to US custody, even though many had won legal injunctions from Mexican courts protecting them against any such move.
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“This transfer is yet another example of what is possible when two governments stand united against violence and impunity,” US Ambassador Ronald Johnson said in a post on X, applauding Sheinbaum’s leadership.
The US and Mexico are in the final stages of negotiating a security deal that would facilitate joint monitoring of criminal groups, plus stepped-up border coordination.
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