Mexico Extradites 29 Cartel Leaders to U.S., Tariff Threats Working?

In a move that screams “please don’t tax us!” Mexico has handed over 29 drug lords to the U.S.

This is including the infamous Rafael Caro Quintero.

This mass extradition comes as President Trump dangles a 25% tariff over Mexican imports.

It’s a game that Trump can play all day and Mexico finally is playing ball.

The wins keep rolling in, no matter how much these foreign leaders throw tantrums.

Mexican authorities on Thursday announced the extradition of 29 cartel figures to the United States.The handover was "historic," said Mike Vigil, a former chief of international operations at the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).https://t.co/3upi1ZKx2l

— Sin_City_Cynic (@sincitycynic) February 27, 2025

DO TARIFFS WORK?
“Under pressure from Trump, Mexico extradites 29 [Cartel] drug suspects”

The mass extradition included some major cartel figures, comes as Mexico seeks a deal with Washington to avoid trade duties that Trump has linked to illegal migration and drug flows. pic.twitter.com/1JhIBa39mE

— Jim Weed (@JimBobW49) February 27, 2025

Time for justice to be done.

CBS News reports:

Mexico has sent drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero, who is wanted for the notorious killing of a U.S. DEA agent in 1985, to the United States with 28 other prisoners requested by the U.S. government, the Justice Department confirmed Thursday evening.

“The defendants taken into U.S. custody today include leaders and managers of drug cartels recently designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists,” the Justice Department said in a statement. It said they are facing charges including racketeering, drug-trafficking, murder, illegal use of firearms, money laundering and other crimes.

The Mexican government said in a statement, “They were wanted for their links to criminal organizations for drug trafficking, among other crimes.” Mexico said the transfers were carried out “under institutional protocols with due respect for their fundamental rights.”

Also on the list were two leaders of the Los Zetas cartel, Mexicans Miguel Treviño Morales and his brother Omar Treviño Morales, known as Z-40 and Z-42, the official confirmed.

The removal of the drug lords from Mexico coincided with a visit to Washington by Mexico’s Foreign Minister Juan Ramón de la Fuente and other top economic and military officials. The meeting was the latest in ongoing negotiations with the U.S. over trade and security relations, which have radically shifted since President Trump took office.

ADVERTISEMENT

“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 said in a statement.

DEA Acting Administrator Derek S. Maltz described Caro Quintero as “a cartel kingpin who unleashed violence, destruction, and death across the United States and Mexico” and called his transfer “extremely personal for the men and women of DEA” due to Caro Quintero’s role in the brutal 1985 kidnapping and killing of U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena.

Caro Quintero had walked free in 2013 after 28 years in prison when a court overturned his 40-year sentence for Camarena’s murder. The brutal attack marked a low point in U.S.-Mexico relations.

Translation of next post:

These are the 29 extradited to the USA from Mexican prisons. All are related to serious crimes, including drug trafficking and money laundering.

Estos son los 29 extraditados a EEUU desde prisiones mexicanas. Todos están relacionados con delitos graves, incluyendo narcotráfico y lavado de dinero. pic.twitter.com/OhWxvqszYi

— Arturo Soto Munguía (@Chaposoto) February 28, 2025