WASHINGTON, D.C.: Mexico has handed over 26 top cartel members to the United States this week, in the latest major cooperation deal with the Trump administration. U.S. authorities say the move is part of a growing effort to crack down on drug trafficking networks that smuggle massive amounts of narcotics into the country.

Those sent to the U.S. include Abigael González Valencia, a leader of "Los Cuinis," a criminal group closely linked to the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). Another man, Roberto Salazar, is wanted in the U.S. for the 2008 murder of a Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy. Others in the group are connected to the Sinaloa Cartel and other violent gangs involved in drug trafficking.

The transfer marks a critical moment for the Trump administration, which has made dismantling dangerous cartels one of its top Justice Department priorities. It is the second such transfer in recent months. In February, Mexico sent 29 cartel suspects to the U.S., including Rafael Caro Quintero, the drug boss accused of ordering the 1985 killing of U.S. DEA agent "Kiki" Camarena.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi praised Mexico's cooperation. "These 26 men have all played a role in bringing violence and drugs to American shores — under this Department of Justice, they will face severe consequences," she said, thanking Mexico's National Security team for their help.

Before the transfer, the U.S. agreed not to seek the death penalty against any of the 26 men or against those sent in February. The earlier February extraditions happened while Mexico was trying to avoid steep tariffs that President Trump had threatened to place on Mexican imports. Last month, Trump spoke with Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum and agreed to delay the 30 percent tariffs for another 90 days to give time for further talks.

President Sheinbaum has been more willing than her predecessor to go after Mexico's cartels, but she has also firmly rejected the idea of U.S. military intervention, saying it would violate Mexico's sovereignty.

One of the men sent to the U.S. this week was Servando Gómez Martinez, also known as "La Tuta." Once a schoolteacher, Gómez became the leader of the Knights Templar cartel and one of Mexico's most wanted criminals. Captured in 2015, he was sentenced in 2019 to 55 years in a Mexican prison. His cartel once controlled the state of Michoacán, mixing religious-like rituals with ruthless violence, political influence, and total control over local commerce.

Abigael González Valencia, another of those extradited, is the brother-in-law of CJNG leader Nemesio Rubén "El Mencho" Oseguera Cervantes — one of the U.S. government's most wanted fugitives, with a $15 million reward for information leading to his capture.

Arrested in 2015 in Puerto Vallarta, Abigael had fought extradition for years. Together with his brothers, he led "Los Cuinis," the financial arm of CJNG, helping it grow into one of the most dangerous cartels in Mexico, known for trafficking massive amounts of cocaine, methamphetamine, and fentanyl, and for extreme violence, including murder, torture, and corruption.

One of Abigael's brothers, José González Valencia, was arrested in 2017 in Brazil while on vacation under a false name and was later sentenced in a Washington court to 30 years for international cocaine trafficking.