A leading member of the Tijuana drug cartel has been extradited to the United States, Justice Department officials said, cited by CNN.
Sources said Arturo Paez was brought to the United States early Saturday. He is accused of leading an organization responsible for sending hundreds of kilos of cocaine into Southern California.
Paez was handed over to US authorities after the Mexican Supreme Court, in a recent decision, approved such extradition.
US Attorney General John Ashcroft is expected to speak about the extradition Saturday in El Paso, Texas -- part of his planned four-day tour of the Southwest US border, said CNN.
Justice Department officials called Mexico's action significant, with one terming it "a good sign" for US-Mexican relations.
Ashcroft has declared a renewed war on drugs as a top priority. He promised his Mexican counterpart, Rafael Macedo de la Concha, in March that he would find new ways to cooperate in the effort against the drug trade.
Such cross-border ties are crucial to law enforcement efforts to cope with drug trafficking, money laundering, illegal immigration and border safety, CNN added – Albawaba.com
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