26 Cartel Leaders Extradited to U.S. as Part of Mexico-Trump Deal

Mexico is extraditing 26 top cartel leaders to the United States this week as part of a high-profile agreement with the Trump administration, marking another major step in the president’s aggressive campaign to dismantle drug trafficking and narco-terror networks.

The group, scheduled to arrive in the U.S. on Tuesday, includes some of the most notorious figures in the Mexican underworld. Among them are Abigael González Valencia leader of “Los Cuinis,” an ally of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) and Roberto Salazar, accused of participating in the 2008 killing of a Los Angeles sheriff’s deputy.

“Today is the latest example of the Trump administration’s historic efforts to dismantle cartels and foreign terrorist organizations,” Attorney General Pam Bondi told Fox News Digital. “These 26 men have all played a role in bringing violence and drugs to American shores under this Department of Justice, they will face severe consequences for their crimes against this country. We are grateful to President Sheinbaum and the Mexican government for their collaboration in this matter.”

The CJNG, which the Trump administration has formally designated as a foreign terrorist organization, is one of the most violent cartels operating in the Western Hemisphere. Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office confirmed the extraditions came after the U.S. agreed not to seek the death penalty for any of the suspects.

The move fits into Trump’s broader national security strategy:

• Cartel Designations: Multiple Mexican drug organizations have been classified as terrorist groups, expanding U.S. legal and military options.

• Military Authorization: Trump has reportedly authorized the use of U.S. military force against designated cartels in Latin America.

• Economic Pressure: Tariffs of 25% on Mexican goods are in place, with a threatened increase to 30% delayed for 90 days following negotiations with President Claudia Sheinbaum.

Sheinbaum, while cooperating closely with Washington, has emphasized that no U.S. troops will operate inside Mexico. “We co-operate, we collaborate, but there is not going to be an invasion,” she stated. “It’s off the table, absolutely off the table.”

This is the second major extradition wave in recent months. In February, Mexico turned over 29 cartel leaders to U.S. custody, including Rafael Caro Quintero, the convicted mastermind of the 1985 torture and murder of DEA agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena.

For Trump, the latest handover underscores his message that border security and cartel dismantlement are inseparable and that his administration is willing to use every diplomatic, economic, and military tool to take down the criminal networks fueling America’s drug epidemic.

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