The head of the Attorney General's Office of the Republic, Alejandro Gertz Manero, stated that the penalties for procedural sanctions are not established by the State Department, but by the judges and clarified that in Mexican legislation there is no execution sanction for drug traffickers sent to the United States. These statements were made public at a press conference also attended by Secretary Omar García Harfuch and Secretary General Ricardo Trevilla Trejo.
Gertz Manero pointed out that the benefits granted by some judges to the detainees involved delays of years in the proceedings that should have been resolved in a much shorter period, which was a sufficient reason to grant extradition. It was also mentioned that these decisions are made under the norms of the National Security Law that establish parameters of necessity for reasons of political stability in Mexico and the United States.
The prosecutor confirmed that the transfer of 29 drug lords to the United States was not an extradition, but a matter of national security in compliance with the stipulations of the Palermo Convention, with a request from the U.S. government being essential to carry out this procedure. Gertz Manero indicated that this type of action would continue under the presidency of Claudia Sheinbaum as part of a strategy to send a strong message to the cartels and organized crime.
Regarding the State Department's claims about a possible death penalty for the drug lords, the head of the Attorney General's Office maintained that in this case, there is no such possibility. This position was upheld amidst the controversy generated by those statements.
