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 News Around the Republic of Mexico | October 2006 
Mexico Extradited 50 Fugitives to U.S.
 Ioan Grillo - Associated Press
| | Last month, Mexico extradited accused narcotics kingpin Francisco Rafael Arellano Felix to the United States, making him the first major Mexican drug lord to be sent north to face trial. |
Mexico has extradited a record 50 fugitives to the United States this year, including several alleged drug traffickers, murders and rapists, U.S. Ambassador Tony Garza announced Tuesday.
Garza said the extraditions showed that Mexico is no longer a haven for U.S. criminals.
"Fugitives allegedly committed crimes in the United States and thought they would enjoy free and unfettered lives south of the border," Garza said in a statement. "They were wrong."
In November, Mexico's Supreme Court removed an obstacle that had prevented many of the country's most notorious criminals from facing U.S. justice when it overturned a four-year ban on the extradition of suspects facing life in prison.
However, Mexico still refuses to extradite suspects who face the death penalty in other countries. Capital punishment is illegal here, and a 1978 treaty with the United States allows Mexico to deny extradition if the suspect could be executed.
Last month, Mexico extradited accused narcotics kingpin Francisco Rafael Arellano Felix to the United States, making him the first major Mexican drug lord to be sent north to face trial.
Another high profile suspect extradited this year was Martin Torres, 44, who is charged in in Austin, Texas with sexual assault and murder.
"The message the U.S. and Mexican governments are sending cannot be clearer," Garza said. "We are working together to guarantee that neither country will ever be a refuge for those who seek to escape justice."
In the whole of 2005, Mexico extradited 41 suspected criminals to the United States, up from 34 in 2004; 31 in 2003; 25 in 2002; 17 in 2001; and 12 in 2000, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. |
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