The Mexican government announced on Tuesday that it had handed over to US authorities 37 people suspected of belonging to criminal organizations, as US President Donald Trump continues to exert pressure on Mexico, frequently threatening "ground attacks against drug cartels."
This is the third wave of extraditions since 2025, which brings to 92 the number of suspected drug cartel leaders or members who have been handed over to US judicial authorities.
"This action was carried out under national security law and within the framework of bilateral cooperation mechanisms, with full respect for national sovereignty," said Omar García Harfus, the federal minister of Public Security, via X.
The announcement came about a week after Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and her US counterpart, Donald Trump, held talks on security.
Sheinbaum told reporters on January 12 that he had told Mr. Trump that the presence of US troops in Mexico was “not on the agenda.”
The Mexican president has defended her administration's actions, highlighting the results of her fight against organized crime: a 50 percent reduction in fentanyl seizures at the border, a 40 percent reduction in homicides in Mexico, and the seizure of about 320 tons of drugs.
The extradited individuals, this time second-level gang leaders, according to Mexican media, posed a security threat to Mexico, according to authorities.
On Friday, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued warnings to air traffic controllers flying over areas of Latin America. They included parts of the Pacific and Gulf of California airspace in Mexico. The area is home to several drug cartels, including the coastal city of Mazatlan in Sinaloa state.
The NOTAM, which came a few days after the US military operation in Venezuela on January 3, caused unrest in Mexico.
President Sheinbaum, who has consistently rejected any US military intervention against the cartels in her country, described her conversation with her counterpart Trump on January 12 as "good."
The Republican tycoon has repeatedly claimed that drug cartels "rule" Mexico.
