Mexico has handed over more than two dozen high-ranking cartel leaders to the United States in a deal made with the Trump administration.
Authorities extradited 26 prisoners to the U.S. who were wanted for ties to drug trafficking groups, the Mexican attorney general’s office and security ministry said in a joint statement on Tuesday. The transfer comes as part of an agreement from the U.S. Justice Department that prosecutors would not pursue the death penalty for any of the individuals.
The group of prisoners includes Abigael González Valencia, a leader of “Los Cuinis,” a group with close ties to the Jalisco New Generation cartel, or CJNG. Roberto Salazar, accused of involvement in the 2008 killing of a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy, was also included in the extradition.
Earlier this year, The Dallas Express reported that 17 family members of a notorious Sinaloa Cartel were sent to the United States as part of a deal between a son of the cartel’s former head and the U.S. Department of Justice. The move followed negotiations between U.S. authorities and Guzmán López, also known as “the Mouse,” a son of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, the Sinaloa Cartel founder who was captured by Mexican forces in Culiacán, Sinaloa, in January 2023.
“Today is the latest example of the Trump administration’s historic efforts to dismantle cartels and foreign terrorist organizations,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said to Fox News Digital about the most recent extradition.
“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. We are grateful to President Sheinbaum and the Mexican government for their collaboration in this matter.”
The latest transfer of prisoners comes just ahead of the 25% tariffs that were set to be applied to imports from Mexico. The sitting Mexican president, Claudia Sheinbaum, has shown a greater willingness than her predecessor to cooperate with the United States on cracking down on Mexico’s rampant drug cartels. However, so far, she has opposed allowing the U.S. military to assist within Mexico’s borders.