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The Mexican government is pushing back against a massive U.S. indictment announced Wednesday that accuses the governor of Sinaloa and ten other high-ranking officials of operating a deadly drug trafficking conspiracy with the Sinaloa Cartel.
Just hours after the U.S. confirmed charges alleging corrupt officials protected cartel leaders, facilitated shipments of fentanyl into the U.S. and helped torture and murder a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) source, Mexico’s Secretariat of Foreign Affairs (SRE) fired back, arguing the U.S. failed to provide proof.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York claims officials took millions in bribes from the “Chapitos” faction of the Sinaloa Cartel, allowed the cartel to operate with total impunity and helped transform the region into the global epicenter of the deadly narcotics trade.
In a public statement, Mexico’s SRE confirmed the U.S. Embassy in Mexico received the extradition requests Tuesday night. However, after a legal review, the Mexican government said the U.S. documents “do not have evidentiary elements” to determine the officials are responsible for the alleged crimes.
A U.S. indictment claims the governor of Sinaloa and ten other high-ranking officials had ties to the Sinaloa Cartel. (Solidago/Getty Images)
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The SRE said it forwarded the requests to Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office, which will evaluate the evidence and decide if there is any legal viability to arrest and extradite the officials under the Mexican justice system.
The cartel bust has sparked immediate diplomatic friction between the two nations, with Mexico criticizing U.S. officials’ decision to publicly announce the indictments. Mexican officials said existing bilateral treaties mandate strict confidentiality.
President Donald Trump talks to the media near the White House about his strategy to combat illegal drug flow into the U.S. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
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In response, the Mexican government said it is sending a formal diplomatic reprimand called an “extrañamiento” to the U.S. Embassy to formally protest how the charges were publicized.
The White House, U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York, U.S. Embassy in Mexico and Mexico’s Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.