Trump quietly got Mexico to hand over 100 cartel leaders — including El Mencho’s brother — before Jalisco raid
Mexico has quietly transferred nearly 100 suspected cartel drug traffickers to the United States to face criminal charges after President Donald Trump designated major cartels as foreign terrorist organizations last year and pressed Mexican authorities to increase cooperation.
Among the suspects is the brother of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho,” longtime head of the violent Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), who was reported killed in an operation by Mexican forces on Sunday.
The U.S. Department of Justice said many of the 92 defendants transferred to U.S. custody had pending extradition requests that were not fulfilled under the previous administration. “As President Trump has made clear, cartels are terrorist groups, and this Department of Justice is devoted to destroying cartels and transnational gangs,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said when the first transfers began last February.
“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,” Bondi said. The DOJ added that Mexican authorities carried out the arrests after the Trump administration signaled it would take a tougher stance on cartel activity.
“This is another landmark achievement in the Trump administration’s mission to destroy the cartels,” Bondi said in announcing the most recent transfers last month.
She added that the alleged cartel members — “including terrorists from the Sinaloa Cartel, CJNG and others — will now pay for their crimes against the American people on American soil.”
Among the first group flown to the United States on Mexican military aircraft last February was Antonio Oseguera Cervantes, nicknamed “Tony Montana” after the film character. Prosecutors say he helped lead CJNG alongside his brother and faces charges related to cocaine and methamphetamine trafficking.
In January, U.S. authorities took custody of Sinaloa cartel figure Pedro Inzunza Noriega. Officials allege that he and his son, Pedro Inzunza Coronel, operated one of the world’s largest and most sophisticated fentanyl production and trafficking networks, moving tens of thousands of kilograms of the drug into the United States.
In total, Mexican forces have transported 92 fugitives to the United States in three batches since last February. The defendants face charges ranging from drug and human trafficking to money laundering, racketeering, and murder.
The cases will be prosecuted across 13 states and the District of Columbia. According to the Justice Department, those convicted will serve their sentences in the United States before deportation, though many face potential life terms.
An August roundup included Kevin Gil Acosta and Martin Zazueta Perez, identified as leaders of the security wing for “Los Chapitos,” a powerful Sinaloa cartel faction heavily involved in fentanyl trafficking. U.S. officials say both men commanded sicarios armed with military-style weapons — including M-16s, AK-47s, AR-15s, and grenade launchers — in attacks against Mexican government and military forces.
The U.S. Marshals Service, which typically manages cross-border fugitive transfers, praised the effort. “Leadership like President Trump’s and Attorney General Bondi’s to work diligently to bring all of these wanted criminals back to the United States reinforces their commitment to getting justice for their victims,” said USMS Director Gadyaces S. Serralta.
“This sends a very clear message: justice does not stop at borders.”
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