Mexico extradites cartel kingpins to US

MEXICO CITY

Mexico on Feb. 27 extradited some of its most notorious imprisoned drug lords to the United States in a bid to avert sweeping tariffs, including a cartel kingpin wanted for decades over the murder of a U.S. undercover agent.

Rafael Caro Quintero, who allegedly ordered the kidnap, torture and killing of DEA special agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena in the 1980s, and several other top gang figures were among 29 suspects handed over.

Caro Quintero was on the FBI’s list of 10 most-wanted fugitives until his capture in 2022.

If convicted, he and several others could face the death penalty, the U.S. Department of Justice said, adding that prosecutors would also consider terrorism charges.

The surprise extraditions come as Mexico scrambles to seal a deal with Washington to avoid being hit with trade duties that Trump has linked to illegal migration and drug flows.

Trump has designated eight Latin American drug trafficking organizations, including six Mexican cartels, terrorist organizations.

"We will prosecute these criminals to the fullest extent of the law in honor of the brave law enforcement agents who have dedicated their careers, and in some cases, given their lives, to protect innocent people from the scourge of violent cartels," US Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement.

The suspects also included the former leaders of the ultra-violent Zetas cartel, brothers Omar and Miguel Angel Trevino Morales.

Former Juarez cartel boss Vicente Carrillo and a brother of Nemesio Oseguera, head of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, one of Mexico's most powerful criminal organizations, were also on the list.