Mexico extradites alleged smugglers

MEXICO CITY - Mexico sent 10 alleged drug smugglers to the United States yesterday, capping an already record year for extraditions between the two countries.

Several were high-ranking members of Mexico's most powerful drug gangs, including the Gulf and Tijuana-based Arellano-Felix cartels. The suspects will face charges in California, Texas, Florida, and Georgia, Mexico's attorney general said in a news release.

US Ambassador Tony Garza praised the action as another example of President Felipe Calderon's determination to go after Mexico's drug cartels.

Yesterday's group brings the number of suspects extradited to the United States to 95 this year, 12 more than in 2007.

Those extradited yesterday included Jesus "Chuy" Labra Aviles, the former top financial leader for the Arellano-Felix gang who was arrested in 2000 in Tijuana, and Armando Martinez Duarte, a former federal police official who also worked as the chief of security for the Arellano-Felix gang, protecting its members from police raids.

Aviles and Martinez are wanted in California for alleged drug trafficking, money laundering, and racketeering, Garza said.

In Texas, Juan Carlos de la Cruz Reyna, a former state police officer who allegedly became a top operative of the Gulf Cartel, will face charges for threatening to kill US federal agents cooperating with Mexican authorities.

ASSOCIATED PRESS