In a significant move, the Mexican government has extradited 37 inmates allegedly linked to powerful drug cartels to face trials in the United States. This latest round of extraditions comes after US President Donald Trump floated the possibility of US land strikes targeting organised criminal gangs inside Mexico.
The extraditions mark the third such operation in the past year, as President Claudia Sheinbaum’s administration faces accusations of appeasing Trump’s demands. Mexico’s Secretary of Security, Omar García Harfuch, stated that the transferred detainees posed a “threat to the country’s security”.
The US Justice Department welcomed the extraditions, declaring them a successful part of a broader strategy to “destroy the cartels”. US Attorney General Pam Bondi asserted that “these 37 cartel members will now pay for their crimes against the American people on American soil”.
García Harfuch confirmed that US prosecutors had committed to not pursuing the death penalty for the accused criminals and that the transfers had been carried out in accordance with “National Security Law and under bilateral cooperation mechanisms, with full respect for national sovereignty”.
The inmates were transported to various US cities, including Washington, New York, Houston, Pennsylvania, San Diego, and San Antonio, aboard seven armed Mexican aircraft. This follows a similar operation in August 2022, when Mexico extradited 26 “key operatives” of major gangs, bringing the total number of prisoners transferred to 92 during Trump’s second administration.
President Sheinbaum’s government has recently intensified its crackdown on drug trafficking, citing a 50% decrease in fentanyl seizures at the US southern border as evidence of its effectiveness. However, the extraditions have drawn criticism, with some accusing the administration of appeasing Trump’s demands.
In an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity, Trump had suggested that the US would start “hitting land” after targeting drug trafficking by water, claiming that “the cartels are running Mexico”. Last week, President Sheinbaum stated that US troop deployment across the southern border was “not on the table”.
The ongoing cooperation between Mexico and the US in the fight against organised crime has been a contentious issue, with concerns over national sovereignty and the impact of US intervention. As the crackdown continues, the extraditions will likely be closely watched by both countries and the international community.
