Mexico transfers drug cartel suspects to U.S. custody

U.S. officials on Thursday took custody of 29 defendants from Mexico, including alleged cartel leader Rafael Caro Quintero. The suspects face charges including racketeering, drug trafficking, murder, illegal use of firearms, and money laundering. Authorities extradited the criminals to eight American cities, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. The defendants are alleged to have played a key role in importing large quantities of cocaine, methamphetamine, fentanyl, and heroin into the United States. Many of the defendants were subject to longstanding extradition requests that were previously not honored, according to the DOJ. President Donald Trump last month designated cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, putting more pressure on the Mexican government to send the defendants to the United States.

The transfers came on Thursday as Mexican leaders met with their American counterparts in Washington, D.C. to discuss security issues.

Who are some of the criminals included in the transfer? Rafael Caro Quintero is charged with orchestrating the 1985 torture and murder of U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration special agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena. Quintero has been at the top of the DEA’s most-wanted list for four decades, said Drug Enforcement Agency acting Administrator Derek Maltz. Alleged Los Zetas cartel leaders Miguel Trevino Morales and Omar Trevino Morales, who are brothers, were also on the list of defendants. Alleged leaders of the Sinaloa and Juarez cartels were also extradited.

Dig deeper: Read Addie Offereins’ report about why President Trump paused the asylum system.