STORY: Mexico sent more than two dozen suspected cartel members to the U.S. on Tuesday (August 12), amid rising pressure from President Donald Trump on Mexico to dismantle the country's powerful drug organizations.

Authorities shipped 26 prisoners wanted in the U.S. for ties to drug-trafficking groups, Mexico's security minister Omar Garcia Harfuch said on Wednesday (August 13) during a press conference.

Mexico said the U.S. Department of Justice had requested their extradition and that it would not seek the death penalty for the accused cartel members.

The transfer is the second of its kind this year. In February, Mexican authorities sent 29 alleged cartel leaders to the U.S., sparking a debate about the political and legal grounds for such a move.

In a statement, the U.S. Embassy said among those extradited were key figures in the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and the Sinaloa Cartel, which are Mexico's two dominant organized crime groups.

Trump has tied tariffs on Mexico to the deadly fentanyl trade, claiming the country hasn't tackled drug cartels aggressively enough. Last week, he directed the Pentagon to prepare operations against Mexican drug gangs that have been designated global terrorist organizations.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has said the U.S. and Mexico are nearing a security agreement to expand cooperation in the fight against cartels. But she has flatly rejected suggestions by the Trump administration that it could carry out unilateral military operations in Mexico.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

VIDEO SHOWS: SUSPECTED CARTEL MEMBERS BEING ESCORTED BY MEXICAN OFFICIALS TO AIRCRAFT / SOUNDBITES FROM MEXICAN SECURITY MINISTER

RESENDING WITH COMPLETE STORY

SHOWS: UNIDENTIFIED LOCATION, MEXICO (AUGUST 12, 2025) (MEXICAN SECURITY MINISTRY HANDOUT - Access all) (MUTE) (VIDEO BLURRED BY SOURCE)

1. VARIOUS OF MEXICAN OFFICERS ESCORTING SUSPECTED CARTEL MEMBERS TO AIRCRAFT

2. OFFICER HOLDING HANDCUFFS

3. VARIOUS OF MEXICAN OFFICERS ESCORTING SUSPECTED CARTEL MEMBERS TO AIRCRAFT

4. MEXICAN OFFICERS ON TARMAC

MEXICO CITY, MEXICO (AUGUST 13, 2025) (REUTERS - Access all)

5. MEXICAN OFFICIALS AND SECURITY MINISTER, OMAR GARCIA HARFUCH, ENTERING CONFERENCE ROOM

6. PRESS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS

7. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) MEXICAN SECURITY MINISTER, OMAR GARCIA HARFUCH, SAYING:

"The transfer of 26 violent offenders has been completed. We agreed with the Department of Justice not to seek the death penalty for the 29 individuals who were transferred in February, nor for these 26 who were transferred recently. This decision was made in the national interest and based on the highest security criteria for our country. This is a sovereign decision under national security law and a determination by the National Security Council."

8. HARFUCH AND MEXICAN OFFICIALS DURING PRESS CONFERENCE

9. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) MEXICAN SECURITY MINISTER, OMAR GARCIA HARFUCH, SAYING:

"These 26 individuals, who were being held in five federal prisons and four state prisons, had extradition orders and were facing various investigations for high-impact crimes in the United States as well, including human trafficking, homicide, drug trafficking, firearms offenses, money laundering, and organized crime."

10. PRESS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS

11. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) MEXICAN SECURITY MINISTER, OMAR GARCIA HARFUCH, SAYING:

"These transfers are not only a strategic measure to ensure public safety, but also reflect a firm determination to prevent these criminals from continuing to operate from prison and to break up their networks of influence. They also represent an act of justice and dignity toward the victims."

UNIDENTIFIED LOCATION, MEXICO (AUGUST 12, 2025) (MEXICAN SECURITY MINISTRY HANDOUT - Access all) (MUTE) (VIDEO BLURRED BY SOURCE)

12. VARIOUS OF SUSPECTED CARTEL MEMBERS GETTING OUT OF POLICE VEHICLES

13. MEXICAN OFFICERS ON TARMAC

14. VARIOUS OF MEXICAN OFFICERS ESCORTING SUSPECTED CARTEL MEMBERS TO AIRCRAFT

15. OFFICERS AND SUSPECTED CARTEL MEMBERS INSIDE AIRCRAFT

16. MEXICAN OFFICERS ESCORTING SUSPECTED CARTEL MEMBER