Mexico sends 26 ‘fugitive’ cartel members to US in deal with Trump admin

Mexico turned over 26 cartel members wanted for crimes in the US to American authorities as part of the latest deal with the Trump administration.

The prisoners include leaders and managers of several Mexican drug cartels and they’re facing charges like murder, hostage-taking, human smuggling and kidnapping, the US Department of Justice announced Tuesday.

One of the “fugitives” sent to the US is Abigael González Valencia, a high-ranking leader of the “Los Cuinis” organization that helped finance and grow the notorious cartel Jalisco New Generation, better known as CJNG, according to the DOJ.

Valencia is also the brother-in-law of CJNG leader Nemesio Rubén “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes, a top target who the US government is offering $15 million just for information that could lead to his capture or conviction.

And one of Valencia’s brothers, José González Valencia, was sentenced in Washington’s federal court to 30 years in June after pleading guilty to international cocaine trafficking. He was originally busted in 2017 while vacationing at a beach resort in Brazil under a fake name.

Roberto Salazar, another prisoner shipped to the states, had been sought in connection to the murder of Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Juan Escalante in 2008, according to the Justice Department.

Another man, Abdul Karim Conteh, is a national from Sierra Leone who was held in Mexico for allegedly smuggling migrants from countries in and around the Middle East, according to the DOJ. He had no listed affiliation with a cartel.

“Today is the latest example of the Trump administration’s historic efforts to dismantle cartels and foreign terrorist organizations. These 26 men have all played a role in bringing violence and drugs to American shores — under this Department of Justice, they will face severe consequences for their crimes against this country. We are grateful to Mexico’s National Security team for their collaboration in this matter,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said.

US Ambassador to Mexico Ronald Johnson added: “These fugitives will now face justice in U.S. courts, and the citizens of both of our nations will be safer from these common enemies.”

In February, 29 cartel figures were handed over to the US, including drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero who was previously linked to the murder of a US Drug Enforcement Administration agent in 1985. Since then, many have begun to face terror charges for their alleged crimes.

That same month, the Trump administration classified CJNG and seven other Latin American-based crime groups as foreign terrorist organizations and secretly authorized the military to fight them by land and sea.

The second round of inmates were all flown to US soil after the DOJ agreed not to seek the death penalty against any defendants or cartel affiliates in February’s transfer, a source close to the matter told The Associated Press.

The ongoing deal and second transfer is the culmination of ever-increasing pressure from the Trump administration to curb drug trafficking and smuggling across the US-Mexico border.

With Post wires