Article: U.S. Attorney General Hails Extradition of Major Mexican Drug Trafficker

07 May 2001

Article: U.S. Attorney General Hails Extradition of Major Mexican Drug Trafficker

Says move shows Mexican government's anti-drug commitment

Washington -- Attorney General John Ashcroft says the extradition of a principal drug trafficking figure from Mexico to the United States shows the commitment of the Mexican government to attacking organized crime and violent drug organizations.

In a May 5 statement, Ashcroft said the extradition of Arturo Paez Martinez from the Mexican city of Tijuana earlier that day was "important because it takes a major drug lieutenant off the streets," adding: "I applaud Mexican President Vicente Fox's administration and their commitment to bilateral cooperation" with the United States.

"Drug lords and their associates are on notice that drug trafficking will not be tolerated by the United States and Mexico. We are grateful to the government of Mexico for vigorously pursuing the Paez Martinez extradition," Ashcroft said.

The Justice Department said Paez Martinez is alleged to have served as a top lieutenant in the Arellano Felix drug trafficking organization, also known as the Tijuana Drug Cartel, which it said was reportedly a large, powerful and violent drug trafficking organization based in Baja California, Mexico. The cartel is alleged to have engaged in large-scale drug distribution in the United States as well as money laundering and violent criminal behavior.

Paez Martinez, a Mexican national, will stand trial in the Southern District of California for his role in directing the importation and distribution of multiple tons of cocaine during the early and mid-1990s into the United States, the Justice Department said.