In an apparent attempt to appease U.S. officials who have been pushing for tariffs and punitive measures against Mexico for their alleged role in protecting drug cartels, that country’s authorities confirmed the extradition of 29 criminals wanted by the U.S. Department of Justice. These include a top drug boss behind the 1985 murder of DEA Agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena, the two supreme leaders of Los Zetas Cartel, and the brother of the supreme leader of Cartel Jalisco New Generation.
On Thursday afternoon, Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office confirmed the extradition of 29 wanted criminals who were all in custody in various prisons across Mexico. The confirmation of the extradition came at the same time that Mexico’s security cabinet was meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his staff over that country’s response to drug cartels.
The list of the extradited cartel members includes:
- Rafael Caro Quintero, AKA “Don Rafa,” founding leader of the “Guadalajara Cartel.” Wanted for being one of the masterminds behind the murder of DEA Agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena.
- Miguel Ángel Treviño Morales, AKA “Z-40,” former Los Zetas leader and Cartel del Noreste’s founder.
- Oscar Omar Treviño Morales, alias “Z-42,” is considered one of the main generators of violence in Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas.
- Antonio Oseguera Cervantes, “Tony Montana,” is the primary financial and logistical operator of the CJNG.
- Vicente Carrillo Fuentes, AKA “El Viceroy,” became the leader of the “Juarez Cartel”
- José Rodolfo Villareal Hernández, AKA “Gato,” is the operational head of the Beltrán Leyva Cartel. He is the accused mastermind of the 2013 murder in South Lake of an attorney for the Gulf Cartel. He was listed as one of the FBI’s Most Wanted Fugitives.
- Evaristo Cruz Sánchez, AKA “El Vaquero”, regional leader of the “Gulf Cartel”.
- José Alberto García Vilano, AKA “La Kena,” is the leader of the “Los Ciclones” group in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, one of the divisions of the Gulf Cartel (CDG).
- Lucio Hernández Lechuga, AKA “Z-100” and/or “El Lucky,” regional leader of “Los Zetas” in Veracruz, Oaxaca, and Puebla, with criminal activities of drug dealing, truck robberies, fuel theft, arms stockpiling and drug dealing.
- Ramiro Pérez Moreno, AKA “El Rama”, regional leader of the “Los Zetas” cartel.
- Miguel Ángel Rodríguez Díaz, AKA “Alfa Metro,” regional leader of the “Los Zetas” cartel with an area of operation in the northern part of Coahuila.
- José Bibiano Cabrera Cabrera, AKA “El Durango,” plaza boss of the Sinaloa Cartel, “Los Chapitos” faction, in the municipality of Altar, Sonora.
- Andrew Clark, AKA “El Dictador,” served as a logistical liaison with the CJNG and the Pacific (Sinaloa) Cartel.
- Héctor Eduardo Infante, plaza boss of the criminal cell “Los Rusos” linked to the “Sinaloa Cartel”, was founder of the gang called “Los Infantes”.
- Inés Enrique Torres Acosta, AKA “El Kiki Torres,” head of security for “El Mayo Zambada.”
- José Guadalupe Tapia Quintero, AKA “Lupe Tapia,” lieutenant of the Sinaloa Cartel, high-ranking operator of “El Mayo Zambada.”
- Jesus Humberto Limon Lopez, AKA “El Chubeto,” founding leader of “Los Cazadores-Cartel de Sinaloa,” a group related to Los Chapitos.
- Jesús Alberto Galaviz Vega, AKA “Z-13”, leader of the Los Zetas Cartel, who coordinated drug distribution in Coahuila and Tamaulipas,
- Luis Gerardo Méndez Estevane, AKA “El Tío,” belonged to the criminal group Los Aztecas, an armed wing of La Línea, currently La Empresa, with operations in Chihuahua.
- Carlos Alberto Monsiváis Treviño, AKA “La Bola,” leader of the Northeast cartel (CDN).
- Carlos Alfredo Vázquez, operational commander of the Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel.
- Rodolfo López Ibarra, AKA “Nito,” plaza boss of the “Los Beltrán Leyva” criminal cell in Nuevo León.
- Alfredo Rangel Buendía, AKA “El Chicles.” regional leader of Los Zetas Cartel.
- Erick Valencia Salazar, AKA “El 85,” leader of “Los Matazetas”.
- Alder Alfonso Marín Sotelo – wanted for the murder of Officer Ned Byrd in Wake County, North Carolina
- José Jesús Méndez Vargas, AKA “Chango,” leader and founder of “La Familia Michoacana”
- Itiel Palacios García, AKA “Compa Playa,” regional leader and financial operator of the CJNG in Oaxaca and Veracruz.
Mexico Security Cabinet
The extradited fugitives include Rafael Caro Quintero — one of the leaders of the Guadalajara Cartel. This criminal organization is considered to be the root of where most of Mexico’s western cartels, including the Sinaloa Cartel, the Juarez Cartel, and the Tijuana Cartel, spawned. As Breitbart Texas reported, Caro Quintero is wanted in the United States for his role as one of the masterminds behind the kidnapping and gruesome murder of DEA Agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena in 1985.
FBI MOST WANTED LIST
Breitbart Texas reported that the extradited criminals also included Miguel Angel “Z-40” and Omar “Z-42” Trevino Morales, the two supreme leaders of Los Zetas.
A fourth wanted crime boss who was also extradited is Antonio “Tony Montana” Oseguera Cervantes, the brother of the supreme leader of Cartel Jalisco New Generation (CJNG), one of the most powerful and sadistic drug cartels in Mexico.
U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration
The extradition comes as part of several other moves by Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum, who, along with her cabinet, has been trying to avoid the imposition of tariffs by the Trump Administration over claims by the White House that Mexico has colluded and protected drug cartels.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart News Foundation. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at [email protected].
Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at [email protected].
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