Mexico Transfers Rafael Caro Quintero and Other Cartel Operatives to U.S. Custody

The Mexican government on Thursday sent to the United States 29 top cartel operatives wanted by the American authorities, including one notorious drug lord whom U.S. officials had been seeking to bring to justice for 40 years, according to statements by the American and Mexican governments.

The handover included not only several powerful cartel leaders, but also some of the most prolific murderers in the annals of Mexican crime. The number and significance of the people sent to the United States at the same time made the event one of the most important efforts by Mexico in the modern history of the drug war to send traffickers to face charges in American federal courts.

The development came as the Trump administration was leaning hard on the Mexican government to step up its fight against the cartels, and Mexican officials’ concession appeared to be an early win for President Trump in what will likely be a longer struggle against the criminal groups.

Among those being flown to the United States was Rafael Caro Quintero, a founding member of the Sinaloa drug cartel, who was convicted in Mexico of masterminding the 1985 murder of Enrique Camarena, an agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration, Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement. Getting hold of Mr. Caro Quintero has for decades been all but an obsession among officials at the drug agency.

“As President Trump has made clear, cartels are terrorist groups, and this Department of Justice is devoted to destroying cartels and transnational gangs,” Ms. Bondi’s statement said. “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.”

The transfer of the wanted men, who had been in Mexican custody, came as a high-level delegation from Mexico arrived in Washington to meet with senior U.S. officials to hammer out a security agreement amid tension between the two nations. The Mexican Foreign Ministry issued a statement announcing the release of the cartel figures before Ms. Bondi issued her own statement.

The Mexican government on Thursday sent to the United States 29 top cartel operatives wanted by the American authorities, including one notorious drug lord whom U.S. officials had been seeking to bring to justice for 40 years, according to statements by the American and Mexican governments.

The handover included not only several powerful cartel leaders, but also some of the most prolific murderers in the annals of Mexican crime. The number and significance of the people sent to the United States at the same time made the event one of the most important efforts by Mexico in the modern history of the drug war to send traffickers to face charges in American federal courts.

The development came as the Trump administration was leaning hard on the Mexican government to step up its fight against the cartels, and Mexican officials’ concession appeared to be an early win for President Trump in what will likely be a longer struggle against the criminal groups.

Among those being flown to the United States was Rafael Caro Quintero, a founding member of the Sinaloa drug cartel, who was convicted in Mexico of masterminding the 1985 murder of Enrique Camarena, an agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration, Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement. Getting hold of Mr. Caro Quintero has for decades been all but an obsession among officials at the drug agency.

“As President Trump has made clear, cartels are terrorist groups, and this Department of Justice is devoted to destroying cartels and transnational gangs,” Ms. Bondi’s statement said. “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.”

The transfer of the wanted men, who had been in Mexican custody, came as a high-level delegation from Mexico arrived in Washington to meet with senior U.S. officials to hammer out a security agreement amid tension between the two nations. The Mexican Foreign Ministry issued a statement announcing the release of the cartel figures before Ms. Bondi issued her own statement.