A Gain in an International War : Mexico’s expulsion of suspected drug lord to the U.S. is a major step

Last March, Juan Garcia Abrego was put on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted list. Last Sunday the reputed drug kingpin was arrested near Monterrey, Mexico, by Mexican drug agents, and Tuesday morning he awoke in a Houston jail cell after being handed over to the United States. That quick sequence is a fine example of international cooperation in the war against drug smugglers.

Witnesses to the capture of Garcia Abrego, suspected of heading the notorious Gulf of Mexico drug cartel, say he laughed at the agents who arrested him; he was that confident of his ability to bribe his way to freedom. His arrogance, however, turned to panic when he saw the airplane that would fly him to the United States. He had to be pushed aboard.

Garcia Abrego’s organization, worth an estimated $10 billion, is believed to have been involved in more than 100 criminal cases in the United States. The U.S. district court in Houston has indicted him on charges of importing, warehousing, transporting and distributing huge quantities of cocaine and marijuana in this country.

For several weeks, a rumor had been circulating in Mexico that the government was “negotiating” Abrego’s surrender, but the arrest suggests a bold and aggressive step by the authorities. President Ernesto Zedillo’s decision to extradite Garcia Abrego, a native of Texas, is politically wise and shows he has nothing to fear if Garcia Abrego decides to speak out about his political connections. Now justice must be served, and Houston is the proper setting, a legal environment more secure from corruption than many parts of Mexico.

Of course Garcia Abrego will soon be replaced by another in the international drug trade. Nevertheless, the arrest is a triumph for Zedillo and his attorney general, Antonio Lozano Garcia, and a warning to the drug lords. It shows they cannot buy everybody. Juan Garcia Abrego: In the FBI’s custody in Houston.