Mexico Sends 26 Cartel Suspects to U.S., Calling Move a ‘Sovereign Decision’

Mexico extradited 26 alleged members of the CJNG and Sinaloa Cartel to the United States, which President Claudia Sheinbaum described as a sovereign decision to protect national security, with U.S. assurances that none would face the death penalty. The move mirrors a February transfer of 29 suspects and comes amid U.S. pressure tied to fentanyl trafficking and threats of military action, while both countries work toward a new security agreement; U.S. officials hailed the extraditions as a milestone in bilateral cooperation with likely political reverberations on both sides of the border.