A Mexican drug lord wanted in the death of a Drug Enforcement Administration agent 40 years ago is in American custody along with 28 other high-ranking drug cartel leaders.
The Mexican government handed Rafael Caro Quintero and other drug lords sought by the U.S. on Thursday, days before President Donald Trump’s tariff on Mexican products is to take effect, according to CBS.
“Today sends a message to every cartel leader, every trafficker, every criminal poisoning our communities: You will be held accountable. No matter how long it takes, no matter how far you run, justice will find you,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a news release posted on the Department of Justice website.
The release said federal prosecutors will decide if those extradited should face additional charges and if they should be eligible for the death penalty.
DEA Acting Administrator Derek Maltz said Caro Quintero is “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” because of Caro Quintero’s links to the 1985 death of Drug Enforcement Administration agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena.
“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, such as the Sinaloa Cartel, Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), Cártel del Noreste (formerly Los Zetas), La Nueva Familia Michoacana, and Cártel de Golfo (Gulf Cartel),” the release said.
“These defendants are collectively alleged to have been responsible for the importation into the United States of massive quantities of poison, including cocaine, methamphetamine, fentanyl, and heroin, as well as associated acts of violence,” the release said.
The release noted that the U.S. had sought to extradite many of the defendants for years.
“As President Trump has made clear, cartels are terrorist groups, and this Department of Justice is devoted to destroying cartels and transnational gangs,” Bondi said.
“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. We will not rest until we secure justice for the American people,” she said.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the arrests mark a new day for justice.
“The FBI and our partners will scour the ends of the earth to bring terrorists and cartel members to justice,” he said. “The era of harming Americans and walking free is over.”
“Today’s actions are a consequence of a White House that negotiates from a position of strength, and an Attorney General who is willing to lead the Department with courage and ferocity,” said Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove.
The Mexican government issued a statement saying in part that those shipped to the U.S. “were wanted for their links to criminal organizations for drug trafficking, among other crimes.”
Mexico said the transfers took place “under institutional protocols with due respect for their fundamental rights,” according to CBS.
CBS noted that in January, a nonprofit group representing Camarena’s family wrote to Trump to request Caro Quintero’s extradition.
“His return to the U.S. would give the family much needed closure and serve the best interests of justice,” the letter said.
Caro Quintero’s extradition means “the message goes forth – we will never forget if you harm or kill one of our agents,” a former U.S. official said, according to Reuters.
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