Wife Of Cartel Leader Files Criminal Complaint Against Top Mexican Over Extradition Of Operatives Without Due Process

The family members of top cartel leaders in Mexico accused the country's government of breaking the law by denying them due process following their extradition to the United States earlier this month.

Concretely, lawyers for the alleged cartel members said the lengthy legal processes that precede extraditions were not carried out. Moreover, the partner of an operative filed a criminal complaint against Mexican Security Minister Omar Garcia Harfuch over the matter. Vanesa Guzman said Harfuch and other officials committed "treason." "The transfer of my partner is nothing less than exile," she said.

The Sheinbaum administration has sent 92 alleged cartel members to the United States in three separate transfers, the latest one involving 37 individuals last week.

Yarey Sanchez Lagunas, lawyers of two people taken to the U.S. last year, argued that Mexico is "currently under intense pressure" from its neighbor, wondering if "these decisions are being used to show political results, even if it comes at the expense of due process or the rule of law."

That argument was echoed by an expert on organized crime, who told The New York Times lats week that the latest extradition is "far from a magic solution" but the Sheinbaum administration is "buying itself some time."

Sheinbaum has justified the decision, saying its main goal is looking out for the country's interests. "It is very important to clarify that the decision made at the National Security Council is analyzed and, first and foremost, seeks what is convenient for Mexico," Sheinbaum said in one of her daily press conferences. "It is a sovereign decision and analyzed based on security policy considerations."

Those extradited include operatives of the Sinaloa, Beltran Leyva, Jalisco, Noreste and Zetas cartels. The transport includes a promise to not pursue the death penalty.

Previous extraditions took place in February and August last year. Among the 26 handed in August included Abigael Gonzalez Valencia, a leader of "Los Cuinis," a group closely aligned with notorious cartel Jalisco New Generation, or CJNG. Another defendant, Roberto Salazar, is wanted in connection with the 2008 killing of a Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy. Other prominent figures have ties to the Sinaloa Cartel and other drug trafficking groups. Moreover, 29 people were part of the first group that were extradited to the U.S.