Politics: Amid a delicate balancing act, Sheinbaum moves against drug cartel kingpins
Claudia Sheinbaum’s administration is confronting the thorny problem of drug trafficking on different fronts, in all cases with pressure from Donald Trump inevitably and constantly looming in the background. Domestically, the request by drug trafficker Mayo Zambada, illegally kidnapped from Mexico and delivered to U.S. authorities, to be returned to the country puts Sheinbaum is a difficult dilemma. The President must defend national sovereignty and legality without appearing to coddle a major drug trafficker.
Trump’s threats to impose a 25% tariff on imports from Mexico as of March 4 is the backdrop for all responses from Sheinbaum. The U.S. President’s threats come on the heels on Mexico’s efforts to implement precisely the policies Trump demands on immigration and fentanyl trafficking, but apparently to no avail.
In response, the Mexican government made a bold, surprise move on February 27, handing over 29 leading imprisoned drug kingpins to U.S. authorities. The list includes key and violent criminals such as Rafael Caro Quintero. The action, however, raises legal questions, given that it was not formally an extradition, which would require a guarantee from Washington not to seek the death penalty, which is prohibited in Mexico, along with the problem of pending legal proceedings against some of the imprisoned drug traffickers in Mexico. Part of the government’s argument in explaining its operation was the risk that judges would free some of the defendants or grant them injunctions, which ties in with its case in favor of the Judicial Reform.
But will this bold move, which appears to represent a break from Lopez Obrador’s policy of “Hugs not Bullets” be enough to deter Washington? While some in Trump’s inner circle seek collaboration, others, including Attorney General Pamela Bondi, seem reluctant to recognize any progress on the Mexican government’s part.
Still unaddressed is the issue of ties between drug traffickers and their lawyers and prominent Morena politicians. Mayo Zambada has threatened to disclose such links if he is not extradited. The question on many people’s minds is whether Sheinbaum can risk confronting governors and legislators tainted by their links to drug traffickers and their lawyers, or if she can afford not to do so.
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