- The Justice Department announced that 29 Mexican cartel members are now in U.S. custody after Mexican officials transferred them. They face charges including racketeering, drug trafficking, and murder.
- The transfer comes shortly before a planned 25% tariff on Mexican imports takes effect.
- This move follows President Trump’s executive order designating cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.
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Mexican officials delivered the cartel members to the United States Thursday before meeting with Trump administration officials. The DOJ says the 29 defendants are facing charges in districts across the country. They include racketeering, drug trafficking, murder, illegal use of firearms, money laundering, and other crimes.
Among the drug lords is Rafael Caro Quintero. The DEA believes Quintero is responsible “for the brutal torture and murder of DEA Special Agent Enrique ‘Kiki’ Camarena.”
“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 S. Maltz said in a statement.
Justice Department officials say many of the cartel members had longstanding extradition requests. The Mexican government elected to transfer them to the U.S. to face charges. That’s in accordance with President Trump’s executive order designating cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.
Among the other cartel members are Martin Sotelo, who, according to the DOJ, allegedly participated in the 2022 murder of a North Carolina sheriff’s deputy; Antonio Oseguera Cervantes, who allegedly helped lead the Jalisco New Generation Cartel gang; and Ramiro Perez Moreno and Lucio Hernandez Lechuga, who are alleged to be high-ranking members of Los Zetas.
The Mexican government transferred the cartel members days before Trump’s planned 25% tariff takes effect on Mexican imports starting Tuesday.
Trump delayed the tariffs by a month after asking Mexico to improve border security.
Earlier this week, Trump said the U.S. would proceed with imposing tariffs on both Mexican and Canadian imports.
