Mexico Hands Over Cartel Operatives to U.S While Protecting Top Guy, ‘El Mencho’

The government of Mexico sent 37 cartel operatives to the United States this week in yet another attempt to appease the Trump administration over American claims that authorities south of the border are not doing enough to stop cartels. Despite their “peace offerings,” Mexican military and government officials continue protecting the country’s top cartel boss, Ruben Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera — the leader of the terrorist organization Cartel Jalisco New Generation.

Mexico’s top security officials announced that they sent a plane full of 37 cartel operators to the United States, all facing drug trafficking and other federal charges. The move is the third of its kind, where Mexican government officials have bypassed regular extradition measures under the claim that the issue is a national security matter. So far this year, Mexico has sent more than 90 cartel bosses and operators, including well-known figures such as Rafael Caro Quintero, the man allegedly responsible for the 1985 murder of DEA agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena. However, in this third installment of prisoners, the majority of the individuals are not top-level cartel figures, but easily replaceable mid-level lieutenants or regional bosses.

Additionally, despite the numerous claims of seizures and enforcement actions being made by Mexico’s security chief, Omar Garcia Harfuch, the reality is that authorities remain unwilling to pursue the head of CJNG. As Breitbart Texas has reported in the past, Mexican officials have received actionable intelligence on El Mencho. Any attempts to capture him have been unsuccessful.

One of the factors that hinder his capture deals with the close relation that the top drug lord has with Mexico’s Secretary of the Army, Ricardo Trevilla Trejo. Breitbart Texas has been able to confirm that active-duty Mexican Army soldiers are part of El Mencho’s security detail and have, in the past, interfered with prior attempts to capture him. In those cases, the Mexican military forces claimed to have mistaken federal police forces for cartel gunmen, leading to so-called confusion that bought more time for El Mencho and his inner circle to escape.

Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart News Foundation. He co-founded the Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com. 

Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.