- Alberto Rubio Zamora, also known as El Mudo, has been extradited from Mexico to the U.S. to face trial for his alleged involvement in methamphetamine trafficking in California.
- Rubio Zamora was a member of the Sinaloa Cartel and was wanted by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California on charges of criminal association, health crimes, and money laundering.
- The extradition process was delayed due to an injunction filed by Rubio Zamora, but it was ultimately granted by the Mexican government, and he was handed over to U.S. authorities at the Mexico City International Airport.
Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office (FGR) extradited Alberto David Rubio Zamora, alias El Mudo, an alleged member of the Sinaloa Cartel, to the Mexican government to be tried for his probable responsibility in methamphetamine trafficking in California.
The U.S. District Court wanted the Mexican drug trafficker for the Southern District of California for criminal association, health crimes, and money laundering. In compliance with the Extradition Treaty signed between Mexico and the United States of America, the drug lord was delivered into custody.
Alberto, a member of a drug trafficking organization from 2005 to 2014, was responsible for smuggling methamphetamine from Mexico into the United States. In addition, he coordinated the transportation of drug proceeds from drug sales in the United States to be sent to Mexico.
Rubio Zamora was arrested in 2020, and the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) authorized his extradition in April of that year; however, the process was delayed because he filed an injunction, which was denied last March by a judge assigned to the North Prison in Mexico City.
The Mexican Government granted the extradition of the defendant to the U.S. Government.
The fugitive was handed over at the Mexico City International Airport (AICM) to the agents designated for his transfer to that country.
Extradited drug traffickers: who were the high-ranking drug lords handed over to the US in 2022
The security agenda in 2022 was marked by the arrest of high-level drug traffickers in organized crime, such as the recapture in July of Rafael Caro Quintero (founder of the Guadalajara Cartel), as well as that of Antonio Oseguera Cervantes, alias Tony Montana, re-recaptured in December in the state of Jalisco.
But beyond the arrests, there were also notable extraditions of Mexican drug lords who were wanted by US authorities, mainly due to their involvement in drug trafficking to the neighboring country. Among them are members of the Gulf Cartel, the Sinaloa Cartel, the Arellano Felix Cartel, and the Guerreros Unidos criminal group linked to the disappearance of the 43 students from Ayotzinapa in September 2014.
As of the end of December, the government of Andrés Manuel López Obrador had extradited around 75 people for trial in other countries. Of that total, around 23 were for crimes against health and charges related to drug trafficking.
The rest of those extradited were involved in intentional homicides, sexual harassment, carrying firearms, and money laundering. Most extraditions were carried out at Mexico City International Airport (AICM) by the Mexican Attorney General’s Office (FGR) personnel.
The following are some of Mexico’s most notorious organized crime kingpins who have been extradited.
El Gordo
Mario Cárdenas Guillén, alias “M-1″ or “El Gordo,” was one of the most important drug traffickers extradited to the United States. He was wanted by a Texas court for health crimes, specifically for importing cocaine into the state. On May 17, he was handed over to U.S. authorities.
El Gordo was a former leader of the Gulf Cartel. He posed as a man named Ruben Vela Garza to hide his true identity. He was arrested in September 2012 in Altamira, Tamaulipas. He could face 10 years to life in federal prison if convicted in the neighboring country.
His brother Osiel Cardenas Guillen founded the armed wing of Los Zetas by recruiting deserters from an elite corps of the Mexican Army. But in 2003, he was captured in Tamaulipas, and in 2007 he was extradited.
El Sillas
Juan Francisco Sillas Rocha, alias El Sillas, was extradited to the US in September, as the North Dakota Federal Court wanted him because he was one of the highest-ranking members of the Arellano Felix Cartel, a criminal organization to which he belonged between 2004 and 2011, according to intelligence reports.
He was arrested in early November 2011 in Tijuana, Baja California. Mexican authorities had identified him as the “principal lieutenant” of Fernando Sánchez Arellano, alias El Ingeniero, the leader of the Arellano-Félix.
A native of Culiacán, Sinaloa, El Sillas has been blamed for a series of murders and violent acts that he carried out under the direct orders of El Ingeniero. He is alleged to have ordered the kidnapping of three women in September 2010 in Baja California, who were allegedly relatives of Ismael Zambada García, El Mayo, one of the leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel.
El Tomate
Adán Casarrubias Salgado, alias El Tomate, was extradited nine days after Mario Cárdenas Guillén. He was wanted by the U.S. District Court of Northern Illinois to stand trial for his alleged responsibility in drug trafficking crimes against health.
El Tomate was arrested in October 2015 when he met with the then-municipal president of Cocula, Guerrero, Eric Ulises Ramírez Crespo. He was subsequently sentenced to 12 years in prison in 2018.
Authorities have identified him as one of those responsible for the massive trafficking of heroin to Chicago under the Guerreros Unidos criminal group between 2012 and 2014. This criminal clan has also been linked to the disappearance of the 43 Ayotzinapa teachers in September 2014.
El Hummer
Jaime González Durán, alias El Hummer, was extradited in October to the US, as he was wanted by the District Court of the District of Columbia due to his involvement within the Los Zetas criminal organization, of which he was a member between 2000 and 2010.
He is identified as a plaza chief in the cities of Miguel Aleman and Reynosa, where he allegedly controlled drug trafficking, mainly marijuana and cocaine. Although US authorities had asked Mexico to extradite him in 2015, he was not handed over until seven years later.
In addition to being accused of conspiracy to distribute cocaine, the San Luis Potosí native has been identified as the alleged murderer of the famous band singer Valentín Elizalde, better known as El Gallo de Oro, which occurred in November 2006.
Carlos Arturo Quintana, alias El 80, was extradited to the neighboring country on August 24. He has been identified as a member of the Juarez Cartel, for which he was wanted by the Federal District Court of New Mexico, as he is accused of importing controlled substances into the US.
At the time, El 80 was one of the most wanted capos by the Federal Bureau of Investigation due to the criminal acts he carried out as leader of a criminal cell called “La Línea,” one of the many factions of the Juárez Cartel.
He is also considered the alleged mastermind of the murder of journalist Miroslava Breach, perpetrated in March 2017. His arrest was recorded in May 2018 in Chihuahua, as by that year, he already had several investigation files against him for his responsibility in international drug trafficking.
Also noteworthy is the extradition of Mercedes Ivonnes Martell Obeso due to her links to the Sinaloa Cartel, one of the criminal structures with the largest presence in the country. Her surrender occurred in October after the Federal District Court of California requested her. According to intelligence reports, the woman sent the money generated by drug sales to the US between 2012 and 2015.
According to an account by Zeta Tijuana, the other 70 people were extradited to other countries such as Argentina, Peru, Guatemala, and Israel. However, most were handed over to US authorities, mainly to the states of Arizona, California, Texas, Illinois, and Virginia. The above is under the Bicentennial Agreement.
During AMLO’s administration, more than 200 people have been extradited: 58 in 2019, 60 in 2020, 43 in 2021, and around 75 in 2022.