Mexico Extradites Senior Sinaloa Cartel Figure to US
In a major development in the ongoing battle against drug trafficking, Mexico has extradited a key figure in the notorious Sinaloa drug cartel to the United States. Néstor Isidro Pérez Salas, also known as El Nini or the Slacker, has been accused by prosecutors of being a “lead assassin” working for the sons of the infamous drug lord Joaquín Guzmán, commonly known as El Chapo.
Pérez Salas is facing charges in the US related to drug trafficking and weapons offenses, which he vehemently denies. US officials had even offered a substantial $3 million reward for information leading to his capture, underscoring the significance of his role within the cartel.
US Attorney General Merrick Garland has alleged that Pérez Salas was involved in the Sinaloa cartel’s production and distribution of fentanyl, a potent synthetic opioid responsible for numerous deaths in the United States. Garland described Pérez Salas as one of the cartel’s sicarios, or contract killers, responsible for carrying out brutal acts of violence against rivals and witnesses.
The extradition of Pérez Salas is part of a joint effort by US and Mexican authorities to combat the flow of fentanyl across the border, a drug that has claimed the lives of tens of thousands of Americans annually. This high-profile extradition comes as Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has vowed to bring peace and end the country’s long-standing drug war.
The Sinaloa cartel, once led by El Chapo, continues to be a major player in the illicit drug trade. Three of El Chapo’s sons, including Ovidio Guzmán López, have been identified as leaders of a trafficking empire responsible for smuggling large quantities of fentanyl into the US. López, known as the Mouse, was also recently extradited to the US on drug trafficking and money laundering charges.
With Pérez Salas now in US custody, authorities are hopeful that his extradition will help dismantle the cartel’s operations and disrupt the flow of deadly drugs into the country. Two of El Chapo’s sons remain at large, posing a continued challenge to law enforcement efforts to combat drug trafficking.
