The DOJ received 29 suspected Mexican drug traffickers on Thursday, including kingpin Rafael Caro Quintero.
They face either life in prison or execution if convicted on murder charges.
They are accused of sending massive amounts of drugs, including heroin, cocaine, meth and fentanyl into the U.S., and murdering American law enforcement officers as well.
One of the 29 is a drug lord who, according to officials, tortured and murdered a Drug Enforcement Administration agent in 1985.
They face charges of racketeering, drug trafficking, murder, illegal use of firearms, and money laundering and include members of the Sinaloa Cartel, Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), Cártel del Noreste, La Nueva Familia Michoacana, and Cártel de Golfo (Gulf Cartel), the DOJ said.
“As President Trump has made clear, cartels are terrorist groups, and this Department of Justice is devoted to destroying cartels and transnational gangs. 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,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi stated.
A statement from Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that, “[L]ast night, 29 Mexican Cartel Members were extradited to the United States. President Trump directed the Department of Justice and the Department of State to make this happen, and Attorney General Bondi and Secretary of State Rubio did a tremendous job in getting this done. The group of cartel members, who will soon arrive on American soil, includes one of the most evil cartel bosses in the world, Rafael Caro Quintero, who tortured and murdered DEA Agent Kiki Camerena in 1985. The previous Administration allowed these criminals to run free and commit crimes all over the world. The Trump Administration is declaring these thugs as terrorists, because that is what they are, and demanding justice for the American people.”
“The FBI and our partners will scour the ends of the earth to bring terrorists and cartel members to justice. The era of harming Americans and walking free is over,” FBI Director Kash Patel said.
“By prosecuting these defendants to the maximum extent allowable under the law, we honor the memory of Special Agent Camarena, Deputy Sheriff Byrd, and other victims who are far too numerous, as well as decades of hard work in the trenches by our law enforcement partners,” Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove said.
President Trump signed an executive order in January that designated the drug cartels as terrorist organizations, which caused Mexico to honor the extradition requests, according to the DOJ.
Quintero, according to officials, tortured and murdered Camarena and his pilot Alfredo Zavala Avelar in retaliation for American officials cracked down on his drug operation, which reportedly sent 10,000 tons of marijuana into the U.S. Quintero was released from prison in 2013 after a judge in Mexico overturned his conviction.
Martin Sotelo, another defendant, is wanted for his alleged participation in the murder of North Carolina Deputy Sheriff Ned Byrd in 2022.
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