Keystone-SDA
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July 01, 2024 – 06:55
(Keystone-ATS) Mexico has extradited to the United States a leading member of the powerful Sinaloa cartel, the attorney general’s office announced Sunday. Sergio Miguel Vega Mendoza was arrested in Mexico City last summer and was wanted by a federal court in Colombia.
“As a high-ranking member of a criminal organization, he was responsible for coordinating, supervising and transporting large quantities of drugs for distribution in the United States,” the Mexican public prosecutor’s office said in a statement.
Mexican media reported that he was close to Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar, the eldest son of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, who headed the Sinaloa cartel and is currently serving a life sentence in prison in the United States.
El Chapo’s sons wanted
After “El Chapo” was extradited to the United States in 2016, his sons took over the leadership of the cartel. One of them, Ovidio Guzman, was handed over to US authorities in September 2023.
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said he is seeking the capture and surrender of the other brothers: Joaquin, Ivan Archivaldo and Jesus Alfredo Guzman, all charged with federal drug trafficking offenses.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the American anti-drug agency, is on a war footing against the Sinaloa cartel, which it considers to be the main responsible for the trafficking of fentanyl, an opiate causing the deaths of tens of thousands of people each year in the United States.
