The Trump administration just scored another major victory in its war on the Mexican cartels—this time with the full cooperation of Mexico’s government. In an unprecedented move, Mexico is handing over 26 top cartel leaders to the United States this week, with flights already scheduled to bring the men north for prosecution.
Attorney General Pam Bondi called it “the latest example of the Trump administration’s historic efforts to dismantle cartels and foreign terrorist organizations,” noting that each of the 26 played a role in flooding American streets with drugs and violence.
Among them are Abigael González Valencia, a top figure in the “Los Cuinis” cartel aligned with the deadly Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), and Roberto Salazar, accused in the 2008 killing of a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy.
The CJNG, which Trump has formally designated a foreign terrorist organization, is one of the most violent criminal syndicates in the world. Under the deal with Mexico, the U.S. agreed not to seek the death penalty for any of the men—a concession that cleared the way for the transfer.
This handover is happening against the backdrop of Trump’s intensified border security strategy, which pairs aggressive designations of cartel groups as terrorist organizations with economic pressure.
The president has already slapped 25% tariffs on Mexican imports and was prepared to raise them to 30%—but after speaking with President Claudia Sheinbaum, who has shown a far more aggressive posture against the cartels than her predecessor, Trump agreed to delay the higher rate for 90 days while negotiations continue.
Sheinbaum has drawn a firm line on sovereignty, publicly declaring there will be “no invasion” by U.S. forces into Mexican territory, even as she works with Washington on extraditions.
Still, reports suggest Trump has quietly authorized the use of U.S. military force against cartel networks across Latin America that have been designated as terrorist entities—opening the door for direct action if circumstances demand it.
This week’s transfer mirrors a similar operation in February, when Mexico extradited 29 cartel figures, including Rafael Caro Quintero, the kingpin behind the 1985 torture and murder of DEA agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena.
