The millennial delivery: narcos, diplomacy and a touch of legal drama
It seems that the Government of Mexico decided to clean up its contact list and, without going through the drama of a formal extradition, handed over to the United States another 26 criminals linked to drug trafficking. Among them, world-class figures (well, from the underworld): members of the Sinaloa Cartel, the CJNG and even the almost vintage Zetas. The cherry on the cake? Servando “La Tuta” Gómez, the former leader of the Knights Templar, who will surely miss his glory days in Michoacán.
This is not the first time that Mexico plays “I’ll lend it to you, but it’s not extradition.” In February, the administration of Claudia Sheinbaum had already sent 29 capos, including the legendary Rafael Caro Quintero, who had been on the DEA’s wish list for decades. All this, of course, wrapped in a cloak of discretion and with the shadow of Donald Trump threatening to send the Army against the cartels. Nothing like a little geopolitical tension to spice things up.
The VIPs on the list: drug traffickers with pedigree
In this edition of “Narcos: La Entrega”, names like Abigael González Valencia, “El Cuini”, right hand of El Mencho stand out (yes, the one from CJNG, the one that has more searches on Google than some influencers). There is also Juan Carlos Félix Gastélum, “El Chavo Félix”, son-in-law of El Mayo Zambada, because in organized crime there is also nepotism. And we couldn’t miss Servando Gómez, whose nickname “La Tuta” sounds more like a soap opera character than a cartel boss.
The Mexican authorities insist that everything was done “in accordance with the law” and with the promise that the US will not request the death penalty. Because, of course, even if they are drug traffickers, the appearance of human rights must be maintained. Meanwhile, the US Department of Justice published the names as if they were the cast of a movie, while Mexico remained silent as if it were in a game of hide-and-seek.
The art of not calling it extradition
Here’s the juicy detail: technically it was not an extradition, but a “transfer” under an ingenious legal framework. Basically, Mexico used a shortcut to avoid the labyrinth of legal resources that these kingpins master better than their drug trafficking routes. The pretext? That “they represented a permanent risk to public safety.” In other words, they were too dangerous to stay, but not enough for Trump to bomb them (yet).
The script repeats itself: in February, Mexico had already used this legal trick, and now it repeats it as if it were another season of its favorite series. All this, days after Trump threatened to use the Pentagon against the cartels. Coincidence? We only report, you decide.
The US Embassy applauded the move as a “milestone in bilateral collaboration,” because nothing unites more than a common enemy (in this case, drug traffickers). Meanwhile, Sheinbaum continues to insist thatU.S. will not invade Mexico, because apparently someone had to clarify that after Trump’s tweets.
What’s next? Tomorrow there will be a press conference where they will surely say a lot without saying anything. Meanwhile, the bosses are already on their way to their new residences in federal prisons, where they will probably miss pozole and soap operas.
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