Mexican President Reveals There Are More Top Narcos Set For Extradition To The U.S.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said her administration has more names of top cartel operatives set for extradition to the U.S. as she steps up cooperation with the Donald Trump government.

The statement comes after Mexico handed over almost 30 prisoners to the country, a group that included top cartel leaders such as Rafael Caro Quintero and Los Zetas leaders, the Treviño Morales brothers. It also follows a meeting with Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem in which the U.S. official gave Sheinbaum a list of President Donald Trump's priorities for combating illegal immigration and cartels.

"We talked extensively," Noem said during an interview with Fox News. "I gave her some options of more she could do. She has participated a lot in our southern border but we want her to secure her southern border with Guatemala. We want her to share more information with us," Noem added.

Mexico has intensified its efforts to crack down on drug cartels on its side of the border, responding to ongoing threats from the Trump administration to impose tariffs on local goods if it failed to do so.

However, Noem said there is more that needs to be done. "President Trump is clear, he doesn't want people to keep talking," she said. "He wants to see action and she (Sheinbaum) has an opportunity to do some things that I will give a report to the president and see if we can deal with the tariff situation that may be facing her people."

Those already in the U.S. are facing harsh sentences. In the case of the Los Zetas leaders, prosecutors have asked judges to consider the death penalty. Los Zetas started working as hired assassins and bodyguards for the Cártel del Golfo. The group was widely known for its violent modus operandi, which included kidnappings, extortions and torture to intimidate other rival groups.

Rafael Caro Quintero, the infamous Mexican drug lord known as "El Narco de Narcos," could face the same fate. He faced his latest hearing in late March wearing the standard-issue orange t-shirt and green pants of a federal inmate. The drug kingpin barely glanced at the sea of DEA jackets behind him, his face betraying no emotion as he faced the possibility of the death penalty.

U.S. District Judge Frederic Block presided over the 30-minute hearing, addressing imprisonment conditions and legal representation. The most significant development came when Judge Block inquired about the possibility of capital punishment. Assistant U.S. Attorney Saritha Komatireddy confirmed it was indeed "a possibility," though no final decision had been made.