Mexico City, Mexico — Days after being captured, the American leader of Mexico’s Cártel del Noreste, was deported to back to the United States. Mexican authorities reported the deportation of Juan Gerardo Treviño Chávez, leader of the Cártel del Noreste (Northeast Cartel).
“The drug trafficker was not extradited, he was deported to the United States for being a citizen of that country where he is accused of various crimes related to drug trafficking, arms, money laundering and homicide,” a senior official of the Mexican Foreign Mexico Ministry reported on Tuesday.
According to Ricardo Mejía, Undersecretary of Public Security, Treviño did not have Mexican nationality and there were no records of his legal entry into the country, so the deportation proceeded.
Juan Gerardo Treviño, a U.S. citizen who led the Cártel del Noreste, was wanted in the U.S. on various charges related to drug trafficking and money laundering. His Sunday arrest created clashes and attacks on military and civilians in the city of Nuevo Laredo.
At a press conference, Mexican authorities confirmed that his arrest caused clashes and the burning of vehicles that involved 13 roadblocks, 22 attacks on military installations and 16 on civilian installations including the United States Consulate offices.
All this led to the temporary closure of two of the border bridges that connect with Texas.
“I have raised our serious concerns about these incidents and the safety of our employees directly with the Government of Mexico,” U.S. Ambassador Ken Salazar said Monday.
Luis Cresencio Sandoval, Secretary of National Defense, said that 783 elements and four helicopters were sent to reinforce security in Tamaulipas.
Treviño, in addition to being the visible head of the Cártel del Noreste, an offshoot of Los Zetas, also led the group of hitmen called “Hell’s Troops”. Authorities accuse him of generating violence in five states and in the region called the “small border” of the state of Tamaulipas, the one with the largest illegal crossing of migrants into the United States.
When he was arrested, Treviño had in his possession two long weapons for the exclusive use of the army and was with three outstanding arrest warrants, one in the United States and two in Mexico.
One of those warrants was in Tamaulipas for extortion and criminal association and another in the border state of Coahuila for homicide and terrorism. In that region, he has been linked to the attack on Villa Unión, a border municipality that was devastated at the end of 2019 when a caravan of hit men arrived and killed 24 people.
The delivery of Treviño to the U.S. authorities took place early Tuesday morning at the border between Tijuana and San Diego, California, after he was evacuated from Nuevo Laredo by helicopter. Treviño was then detained in the United States on charges issued in the state of Texas.
