MEXICO CITY (BN24)— Mexico expelled 26 high-ranking drug cartel figures to the United States on Tuesday in the latest major security cooperation deal with the Trump administration, marking the second such mass transfer in recent months as both nations intensify efforts to combat cross-border narcotics trafficking.
The cartel leaders and other prominent criminal figures were transported by air from Mexico to American custody on Tuesday, according to a person familiar with the operation who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the ongoing transfer.
Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office and Security Ministry confirmed the transfers, which were executed following assurances from the U.S. Justice Department that American prosecutors would not pursue death penalty charges in any of the cases. The guarantee represents a standard diplomatic requirement for Mexico, which constitutionally prohibits capital punishment and typically requires such pledges before agreeing to extraditions.
Among those transferred to American custody was Abigael González Valencia, brother-in-law of Jalisco New Generation Cartel leader Nemesio Rubén “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes, who remains one of the most wanted fugitives by U.S. law enforcement. Valencia had been imprisoned since his February 2015 arrest in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, and had contested extradition proceedings for nearly a decade.
Valencia, alongside his two brothers, commanded “Los Cuinis,” the financial arm that funded the establishment and expansion of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, which has emerged as one of Mexico’s most powerful and violent criminal organizations. The cartel orchestrates the trafficking of hundreds of tons of cocaine, methamphetamine and fentanyl into the United States and other international markets, while maintaining operations characterized by extreme violence, systematic murders, torture and widespread corruption of public officials.
The transfers also included Roberto Salazar, who faces charges related to the 2008 killing of a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The mass expulsion reflects the Trump administration’s elevated focus on dismantling dangerous drug cartels, demonstrated by the recent designation of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and seven other Latin American organized crime groups as foreign terrorist organizations. This classification enables expanded law enforcement tools and sanctions against the criminal networks.
The timing of Tuesday’s transfers carries particular significance as they occurred just days before the scheduled implementation of 25 percent tariffs on Mexican imports. The tariff threat represents part of broader economic pressure tactics employed by the Trump administration to secure enhanced cooperation on border security and drug interdiction efforts.
Late last month, Trump conducted telephone discussions with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, resulting in an agreement to delay previously threatened 30 percent tariffs for an additional 90 days to permit continued bilateral negotiations on security cooperation.
Sheinbaum has demonstrated increased willingness to collaborate on security matters compared to her predecessor, particularly through more aggressive pursuit and prosecution of Mexico’s powerful drug cartels. Her administration has shown greater receptivity to American requests for enhanced law enforcement cooperation and intelligence sharing.
However, the Mexican president has established firm boundaries regarding national sovereignty, explicitly rejecting suggestions from Trump and other American officials regarding potential U.S. military intervention on Mexican territory. Sheinbaum has consistently maintained that while Mexico will cooperate extensively on security matters, it will not accept any compromise of its territorial sovereignty or independent law enforcement operations.
The cartel expulsions represent the second major transfer of high-level criminal figures in recent months, indicating an evolving pattern of enhanced bilateral cooperation under mounting American pressure to address the cross-border flow of illegal narcotics, particularly fentanyl, which has contributed to a devastating overdose crisis in the United States.
The ongoing security partnership reflects both nations’ recognition that effective disruption of powerful drug cartels requires coordinated international law enforcement efforts, even as political tensions persist over broader immigration and trade policies between the neighboring countries.
