Mexico extradites 26 cartel members to U.S., including top drug trafficking leaders

The United States has taken custody of 26 fugitives from Mexico accused of crimes ranging from drug trafficking and kidnapping to murder and human smuggling, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).

The defendants include leaders and operatives of major cartels designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists, such as the Sinaloa Cartel, Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), and Cártel del Noreste.

They are collectively alleged to have smuggled massive quantities of cocaine, methamphetamine, fentanyl, and heroin into the U.S., in some cases in exchange for military-grade weapons.

Among those transferred are Abigael Gonzalez Valencia, alleged leader of the Los Cuinis cartel and linked to the CJNG organization; Kevin Gil Acosta and Martin Zazueta Perez, accused security chiefs for the Chapitos faction of the Sinaloa Cartel.

Also extradited is Abdul Karim Conteh, alleged head of a human smuggling network that brought thousands of migrants from around the world into the U.S., and Leobardo Garcia Corrales, accused fentanyl trafficker with ties to Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.

Also extradited is Servando “La Tuta” Gómez Martínez, former leader of the Knights Templar Cartel in Michoacán, a criminal group known for incorporating religious imagery into its operations and describing its assassinations and beheadings as “divine justice.”

Others include cartel figures accused of high-profile murders, such as the killing of a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy in 2008.

Mexican authorities said the 26 individuals were in custody across multiple prisons and had active extradition orders. The transfers, they said, were conducted under institutional protocols with guarantees of due process and fundamental rights, and under a U.S. commitment not to seek the death penalty.

This marks the second mass extradition from Mexico to the U.S. under the Trump administration.

In February, Mexican authorities transferred 29 cartel figures, including Rafael Caro Quintero, accused of orchestrating the 1985 murder of DEA agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena. That extradition, one of the largest in Mexico’s history, also included high-ranking members of the Juárez, Beltrán Leyva, CJNG, Gulf, and Los Zetas cartels.

U.S. officials said the latest transfers reflect ongoing bilateral cooperation and a shared priority to dismantle violent criminal networks.

“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,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement.