The third such operation in a year brings total transfers to 92, as Mexico cites national security and U.S. officials prepare federal prosecutions in multiple cities.
MEXICO CITY, MEXICO — Mexico has transferred 37 alleged members of major drug cartels to U.S. custody after a coordinated operation that moved prisoners from federal facilities to military aircraft and onward to American cities on Tuesday, authorities in both countries said.
Officials said the mass handover is the third large transfer in less than a year and part of a wider push to blunt cartel violence and U.S.-bound fentanyl trafficking. The group includes suspects linked to the Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation cartels, among others. Mexico’s government described the detainees as high-impact offenders who posed a risk to public safety if kept in domestic prisons. U.S. prosecutors said the defendants will face existing indictments, including drug trafficking, firearms and human smuggling charges, in federal districts across the country.
The transfer began before dawn as armored convoys left prisons around Mexico City for a secure airfield on the capital’s outskirts, according to video released by Mexican authorities. A line of handcuffed inmates, flanked by masked officers with long guns, was loaded onto a military jet bound for the United States. Security Minister Omar García Harfuch said the operation targeted “high-impact criminals” considered a threat to national security. President Claudia Sheinbaum later called the move a sovereign decision by Mexico’s National Security Council. “We acted to protect Mexicans and uphold the law,” Sheinbaum said. The U.S. Justice Department praised the cooperation and said federal marshals, agents and prosecutors coordinated the handoffs at receiving airports.
Authorities have not released a full list of names, but officials identified several defendants already under indictment in U.S. courts. Among the transferred suspects are alleged operatives from Sinaloa factions tied to synthetic drug production and distribution, and alleged Jalisco New Generation lieutenants accused of violent enforcement. One detainee, known by the nickname “the Chemist,” is accused in U.S. filings of developing fentanyl formulations for cartel labs, according to prosecutors. Mexico said the 37 were split among destinations that included Washington, Houston, New York, Pennsylvania, San Antonio and San Diego. U.S. officials said the defendants will be arraigned in the coming days, adding that any capital-eligible counts will not carry death penalty requests, in keeping with Mexico’s legal stance.
The operation follows two earlier group transfers last year that together moved dozens of cartel figures to U.S. custody. Mexican officials said that brings the total to 92 defendants handed over since Sheinbaum took office. The pace reflects heightened pressure from Washington after a series of fentanyl seizures and overdose spikes inside the United States, as well as ongoing confrontations with cartel gunmen in northern Mexican states. While extradition cases in Mexico can take months or years, authorities relied on national security authorities to expedite removals of inmates they said continued to direct criminal activity from behind bars or were at risk of release on procedural grounds.
The political backdrop is tense. The White House has pressed for tougher action against cartels, and some U.S. leaders have floated unilateral operations if Mexico fails to act. Sheinbaum acknowledged that the Justice Department requested the transfers but argued the decision was made in Mexico City, not Washington. García Harfuch said security planners weighed legal and prison risks before approving the flights. Analysts note that Mexico has used group transfers sparingly in the past, turning to the tool as a signal of cooperation during moments of bilateral friction. For families of victims on both sides of the border, the moves raise hopes for courtroom accountability but leave unanswered how quickly trials will proceed.
Prosecutors said the cases span years of investigations by the Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. attorneys’ offices. Indictments include conspiracy to import and distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine, laundering proceeds through front companies, and using military-grade weapons. Some defendants face allegations of running safe houses along the border and coercing migrants into trafficking loads. Others are accused of coordinating shipments by sea and air through Central America. Officials said each defendant will appear before federal magistrate judges shortly after arrival, with detention hearings to follow. If convicted, many face decades in prison; several could be eligible for cooperation agreements that would require debriefings on cartel structures.
Mexico’s government framed the flights as part of a broader domestic security strategy that includes prison overhauls and regional task forces. Officials said the transferred inmates were selected because they were under U.S. indictment and posed ongoing risks inside Mexican facilities. Rights groups in Mexico called for transparency on legal basis and access to counsel for those moved, noting the unusual use of national security powers over traditional extradition. Legal scholars said Mexico’s constitution allows transfers under certain treaties and security provisions, but they warned that rushed processes can trigger defense challenges in U.S. courts if documentation is incomplete.
At the receiving end, federal courthouses prepared for staggered appearances. In San Diego, prosecutors said they expect to consolidate overlapping cases where possible. In Houston and New York, court calendars were adjusted to accommodate new arraignments, according to court administrators. Defense attorneys assigned under the Criminal Justice Act began requesting discovery and detention hearing dates. A U.S. official familiar with the logistics said agencies arranged separate holding facilities to prevent co-defendant contact before initial interviews. The Justice Department said it will coordinate victim notifications and interpreter services as the cases proceed.
On the ground in Mexico City, residents near the air base described an unusual pre-dawn movement of troop trucks and helicopters before the jet lifted off. Outside the Justice Ministry, a small group of relatives of inmates gathered to demand information about where their family members were taken. “We just want to know what happens next,” said a woman who identified herself as the sister of one transferred detainee. In San Diego, a former Border Patrol agent watching from a public viewing area said the handovers were “the most coordinated” he had seen, reflecting years of joint planning. By afternoon, U.S. marshals had finished distributing the defendants to local lockups ahead of their first court appearances.
As of late Friday, all 37 defendants were in U.S. custody awaiting arraignment, with the first hearings expected early next week. Mexico’s government said additional group transfers are possible if legal and security conditions align. Both countries said joint investigations will continue and promised updates as indictments are unsealed.
Author note: Last updated January 25, 2026.