Mexico City
AP
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Mexico has sent 26 cartel figures to face justice in the United States as the Trump administration demanded of them and doesn’t want Mexico to continue its illegal business from Mexican prisons, officials said Wednesday.
But mass relocations were not part of wider negotiations as Mexico tries to avoid higher tariffs threatened by US President Donald Trump, officials said.
“These relocations are not only a strategic tool to ensure public safety, but also reflect a firm determination to prevent these criminals from continuing to operate from within prisons and splitting their network of influence,” Mexican security minister Omar Garcia Halfucci said at a press conference Wednesday.
The 26 prisoners handed over to US authorities on Tuesday included figures such as the new generation of Jalisco cartel and the Sinaloa cartel. They were sought by American authorities for their role in drug trafficking and other crimes. It comes months after 29 other cartel leaders were sent to the US in February.
In exchange, the U.S. Department of Justice has pledged to seek the death penalty for any of the 55 people included in the two transfers. Authorities said the operation involved around 1,000 law enforcement officers, 90 vehicles and a dozen military aircraft.
Mexican President Claudia Sinbaum said early Wednesday that the transfer was a “sovereignty decision,” but the move comes as Mexican leaders began to pressure them to crack down on cartels and fentanyl production.
Garcia Hauchu also confirmed Wednesday that U.S. government drones – non-military – are flying through Central Mexico but are flying at Mexican authorities’ request as part of an ongoing investigation.
So far, Shanebaum has sought to increase the willingness to pursue cartels over his predecessors (changes recognized by US officials) to avoid the threat of Trump’s tariffs. Two weeks ago, the two leaders spoke to and agreed to give the team another 90 days to negotiate to avoid threatened 30% tariffs on imports from Mexico.
“Little by bit, Mexico is chasing this demand by Americans to deliver drug capo,” said Mexican security analyst David Saucedo. “It’s buying (the Mexican government).”
Saucedo said the Mexican government was able to avoid a burst of cartel violence — a common reaction when Capos is captured — some have shown that Obigio Guzman, the son of the infamous Capo Joaquin El Chapo “Guzman” Guzman, can negotiate with US prosecutors. Ovidio Guzmán pleaded guilty last month to drug trafficking and other charges, and wanted a light sentence in exchange for his cooperation.
However, Saucedo warned that if such a large-scale prisoner relocation continues, the Latin American country is expected to see another blast of violence in the future.
