Mexico has extradited 29 alleged drug cartel members, including gang leaders, to the United States.
Among them is the notorious drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero, who is wanted by America for the murder of an American agent 40 years ago.
This is the largest extradition in Mexican history and is being interpreted as a major step in US-Mexico relations.
All this happened after US President Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs on imports from Mexico, accusing this country of failing to cope with drug trafficking and mass illegal migration.
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"As President Trump has made clear, cartels are terrorist groups, and the Department of Justice is committed to dismantling cartels and gangs," said Pam Bondi, the U.S. Attorney General, in a statement Thursday evening.
"We will fight them in honor of the brave agents who have dedicated their careers, and in some cases their lives, to protecting innocent people from the scourge of violent cartels," she added.
What is Kintero?
Caro Quintero is one of the founders of the Guadalajara Cartel and a key figure in the creation of the modern Mexican drug trade.
He was wanted in America in connection with the torture and murder of Enrique Kiki Camarena, a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent, in 1985.
Caro Quintero was arrested at the time and spent 28 years in prison in Mexico before being released in 2013, which caused great discontent in America.
But in 2022, the Mexican Navy recaptured him after a dog found him hiding in the bushes.
Reacting to the extradition of Carr Kinter, Derek Malk, the acting administrator of the DEA, called the move "a victory for the Camarena family."
"Today we send a message to every cartel leader, every human trafficker, every criminal who poisons our communities that they will be held accountable."
"No matter how long it takes, no matter how long they run, justice will catch up with them," he added.
Quintero is expected to appear in court in New York on Friday.
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Among those extradited are the founders of the notorious Zetas drug cartel - Miguel Angel Treviño and his brother Omar Treviño.
Known as Z-40 and Z-42, the two led the cartel for years until their breakup in the mid-2010s.
Miguel Treviño, who was arrested by Mexican marines in July 2013, is wanted on both sides of the border for ordering mass murders and selling drugs.
Omar Treviño, wanted by both the United States and Mexico on charges of drug trafficking, kidnapping and murder, was arrested by security forces in Monterrey in March 2015.
Their empire encompassed a wide range of illegal activities including cocaine smuggling, human trafficking, extortion, weapons possession, and kidnapping.
Police in Webb County, Texas, confirmed the brothers' extradition and warned Americans not to cross into Mexico for fear of reprisals.
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