3 days ago
- Politics
- New Straits Times
Mexico sends 26 suspected drug traffickers to US amid fentanyl pressure
MEXICO CITY: Mexico sent 26 alleged drug traffickers to the United States on Tuesday, officials said, amid pressure from US President Donald Trump to crack down on fentanyl smuggling.
The 26 prisoners, all of whom were imprisoned on drug trafficking charges, "represented a permanent risk to public safety," according to a joint statement from the Attorney General of Mexico and the Secretariat of Security and Civilian Safety.
The transfer was made "at the solicitation of the US Department of Justice," which "agreed not to seek the death penalty for the prisoners in its country," the statement continued.
The statement did not disclose the identities of any of the 26 transferred prisoners.
The prisoners were moved under an abbreviated legal procedure, authorities said, which excludes some measures provided in traditional extradition cases.
The transfer is the second such instance since Trump returned to the White House in January.
In late February, Mexico transferred 29 accused narcotraffickers to the United States, including prominent cartel kingpin Rafael Caro Quintero, who was accused of kidnapping and killing DEA special agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena in 1985.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has pledged to collaborate with Washington on tackling drug trafficking, while rejecting any "invasion" of her country's sovereignty.--AFP
