Rafael Caro Quintero Extradited to the U.S. Amid Tensions With Trump

• Rafael Caro Quintero’s Extradition Takes Place at a Key Moment
• Trump Pressures Mexico Over Security and Trade
• Accused of DEA Agent’s Murder

Rafael Caro Quintero, the Mexican drug lord who was once the most wanted fugitive by the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), was extradited to the United States this Thursday.

His transfer comes at a time of increasing pressure from Donald Trump’s administration on Mexico regarding security, migration, and fentanyl trafficking.

The 72-year-old drug kingpin, who was arrested in July 2022, spent 20 months in a prison in the State of Mexico before being handed over to U.S. authorities.

Known as the «narco of narcos» in the 1980s, his capture and extradition represent a strategic move in the ongoing cooperation between both nations to combat organized crime.

Did Trump Request Rafael Caro Quintero’s Extradition?

#BREAKING Rafael Caro Quintero arrives in New York after being extradited along with 28 other criminals from Mexico to the U.S. #USA #BREAKINGNEWS #NewYork pic.twitter.com/eztsbydxpv

– Josue Aguilar (@josuealeexis) February 28, 2025

Trump has repeatedly demanded that Mexico and Canada take stronger action to curb drug and migrant trafficking. He has threatened to impose 25% tariffs on Mexican products if there is no progress before March 4.

The handover of Caro Quintero could be part of a broader security agreement between both nations.

The former leader of the Guadalajara Cartel was responsible for the kidnapping and murder of DEA agent Enrique ‘Kiki’ Camarena and Mexican pilot Alfredo Zavala in 1985.

For this crime, the U.S. government offered a reward of up to $20 million for his capture.

Although Caro Quintero was arrested in Costa Rica the same year and sentenced in Mexico, he was released in 2013 due to procedural errors.

In 2015, Mexico’s Supreme Court overturned this decision, but by then, Caro Quintero had already disappeared.

On February 22, a Mexican court granted a suspension order preventing his extradition, arguing that his legal process from 2022 was still unresolved.

However, in an «unprecedented operation,» according to Mexican government sources, his extradition was carried out immediately this Thursday.

The case of Caro Quintero not only marks a milestone in security cooperation between Mexico and the United States, according to EFE.

It also highlights the political and commercial pressures faced by the Mexican government in its relationship with Trump’s administration.

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