Mexico Hands Over 'Cartel Enforcer Directly Implicated In Multiple Homicides' To U.S.

Mexican authorities have handed over to U.S. an alleged cartel operative facing federal charges in the country.

Concretely, the Mexican National Migration Institute (INM) handed over 31-year-old Jaime Renteria Fernandez to Homeland Security Investigations and Custom and Border Protection officials at the Stanton-Lerdo International Bridge.

HSI has described Renteria as a "drug trafficker and cartel enforcer directly implicated in multiple homicides" in new Mexico. He was caught following a joint operation between HSI agents and Mexican authorities in Chihuahua.

The delivery is part of a broader initiative by the government of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, who has approved the extradition of several cartel leaders and operatives to the U.S.

In late February the government extradited 29 prisoners as part of the deal to halt the 25% tariffs on all Mexican imports suggested by President Donald Trump back then. The most famous of the prisoners was Rafael Caro Quintero, one of Mexico's first major drug lords. He co-founded the now-defunct Guadalajara Cartel and was also behind the killing of U.S. DEA agent Kiki Camarera in 1985, a story brought back to the spotlight in the Netflix series Narcos. Now, the U.S. will seek to execute him, or at least imprison him for life.

Miguel and Omar Treviño Morales, known as Z-40 and Z-42 and leaders of the Los Zetas cartel were among those being extradited as well.

"This is historical, this has really never happened in the history of Mexico," said Mike Vigil, former DEA chief of international operations. "This is a huge celebratory thing for the Drug Enforcement Administration," he added.