Overview

• Mexico’s attorney general and security ministry announced the extradition of 26 high-ranking suspects after the U.S. Justice Department pledged not to seek capital punishment.
• The group, flown from Felipe Ángeles International Airport, includes Abigael González Valencia of Los Cuinis/CJNG and Roberto Salazar, accused of killing an LA County sheriff’s deputy.
• February’s transfer of 29 cartel figures, including Rafael Caro Quintero, was followed by expanded U.S. designations, sanctions and indictments to press Mexico into cooperation.
• Washington has threatened tariffs and classified major drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations to compel cooperation while Mexico continues to reject direct U.S. military intervention.
• Experts warn that extraditions alone cannot address underlying drug demand or the risk of cartel-related violence and corruption within Mexico.