**Mexico Extradites Sinaloa Cartel Member to the US for Drug and Weapon Trafficking Operations**
On March 31, 2025, the Mexican government extradited Dulce Raquel ChavarrÃa MartÃnez to the United States, where she is accused of being involved in drug and weapon trafficking activities for the Sinaloa Cartel, operating out of Tijuana, Baja California. The extradition process was conducted by Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office (FGR), which handed her over at the Benito Juárez International Airport in Mexico City to U.S. agents designated to take her into U.S. custody.
ChavarrÃa MartÃnez is set to face charges in the Federal Court for the Southern District of California, located in San Diego. She is charged with drug charges, conspiracy, and arms trafficking. According to the FGR, from 2019 to 2020, she acted as an intermediary for a drug and firearm trafficking organization based in Mexico, organizing and coordinating the movement of drugs from Tijuana to the United States and firearms in the opposite direction.
The Mexican Federal Ministerial Police arrested ChavarrÃa MartÃnez in February 2024 in Tijuana, Baja California, following a provisional arrest warrant issued with the intention of extradition based on the aforementioned charges. Following the approval of her extradition, she was formally handed over 13 months after her capture.
**Related News: U.S. Sanctions Sinaloa Cartel Members for Terrorism Support**
In a related development, the United States has imposed sanctions on five members of the Sinaloa Cartel for allegedly supporting terrorism. The sanctioned individuals are believed to be operating in Mexicali, Mexico City, and Culiacán. This move is part of a broader effort to dismantle the cartel’s operations and financial networks by targeting key individuals believed to be responsible for supporting and facilitating the cartel’s activities.
The U.S. continues to work closely with Mexican authorities to combat organized crime and the illicit trade of drugs and weapons, underscoring the importance of international collaboration to address transnational criminal organizations effectively.