Mexico has handed over 29 drug cartel figures to the United States, including one of the FBI’s most wanted, Rafael Caro Quintero, in what observers say is a “show of compliance” by Mexican authorities. The handover comes just days before 25 percent tariffs on Mexican imports by US President Donald Trump are due to come into effect.

Trump has long taken aim at what he says is Mexico’s failure to control drug cartels. He has referred to them as “quasi-government organisations” in some parts of the country and blames Mexico, in particular, for the flow of highly addictive fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, into the US in recent years.

A statement from the Mexican attorney general’s office said: “This action is part of the efforts of coordination, cooperation and bilateral reciprocity, within the framework of respect for the sovereignty of both nations.”

Here is more about what happened, and why this is happening now:

What has Mexico agreed to do?

Mexico on Thursday handed over 29 cartel figures who were already being held in Mexican prisons. They boarded planes at an airport north of Mexico City and were taken to eight US cities, news agencies citing the Mexican government said.

The US confirmed it had taken the 29 prisoners into custody in a statement by Attorney General Pamela Bondi. There are so far few details about where they are being held.

The US Department of Justice has released a list of federal courts where the 29 defendants are to be charged, but it is unclear when exactly this will happen. They all face charges that include racketeering, drug trafficking, murder, illegal use of firearms and money laundering.

At least two of the extradited men are to be brought before a federal court in Brooklyn on Friday, according to an unnamed source who spoke to the Reuters news agency. 

This is Mexico’s largest handover of prisoners in years. From 2019 to 2023, Mexico extradited about 65 people to the US, Reuters reported.

It is unclear whether any formal extradition process was followed after the Mexican government called the operation a “transfer”.