Rafael Caro Quintero/Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – Mexico agreed to extradite 29 cartel members on Thursday, including former Sinaloa cartel founder Rafael Caro Quintero and former Zetas leader Miguel Ángel Treviño Morales, to the United States, amid efforts to avert US tariff threats linked to illegal migration and drug trafficking.

According to a joint statement from the Mexican Attorney General’s Office and the security ministry, the US Justice Department requested the extradition of the cartel members, which Mike Vigil, former DEA chief of international operations, described as “historic.”

Vigil noted that Mexico typically extradites only a few suspects at a time and suggested this larger group was sent “hoping that it will have a positive impact on the tariff negotiations.”

The announcement came as top Mexican officials visited Washington to persuade the Trump administration against imposing 25% tariffs on all Mexican imports starting March 4.

Two high-profile cartel members extradited to the U.S. include Rafael Caro Quintero, whom the United States has pursued for over 40 years following his conviction in Mexico for the 1985 murder of DEA agent Enrique Camarena. Miguel Ángel Treviño, known as one of Mexico’s most violent cartel figures, has been wanted by the U.S. since 2013 and is currently facing multiple drug charges in Texas federal courts.

The releases coincide with President Donald Trump intensifying pressure on Mexico to halt the illegal influx of fentanyl into the United States, with tariffs set to be imposed on Tuesday.

“The drugs continue to pour into our country, killing hundreds of thousands of people,” Trump told reporters on Thursday. “We’re losing substantially more than 100,000 people. I mean, dead.”

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