Mexico on 12–13 August transferred 26 alleged cartel members to U.S. custody, the second large hand-over this year after a February consignment of 29. The group includes Abigael González Valencia, known as “El Cuini” and a senior figure in the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, and Servando Gómez Martínez, or “La Tuta,” former leader of Los Caballeros Templarios. Others are linked to the Sinaloa Cartel, Los Zetas and an international migrant-smuggling ring. The U.S. Department of Justice said the men face federal and state charges ranging from drug trafficking and kidnapping to murder. In exchange for the transfer, Washington agreed not to seek the death penalty, a condition reiterated by Mexican Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch. García Harfuch stated that the inmates continued to direct criminal operations from Mexican prisons and that their removal was carried out under international protocols to protect public safety. President Claudia Sheinbaum called the decision “sovereign,” while Attorney General Alejandro Gertz Manero insisted it was not part of any broader negotiation with Washington. U.S. agencies welcomed the move. The DEA described it as a “significant step” toward dismantling organisations designated as foreign terrorist groups, and the U.S. ambassador said the action underscores growing bilateral cooperation. That collaboration was also cited after Mexican forces, trained by U.S. agencies, captured 27 CJNG members in Aguascalientes on 26 July. With the latest hand-over, Mexico has delivered 55 high-profile suspects to the United States in less than six months. The 26 men are expected to appear before federal courts in several U.S. jurisdictions, where they could face life sentences.