Top Mexican prosecutor defends transfer of accused drug lords as legal

By Lizbeth Diaz

Mexican Attorney General Alejandro Gertz defended on Friday the legality of the government's handover of 29 suspected cartel leaders to the United States a day earlier, arguing that national security laws allowed it.

Gertz, speaking at a news conference alongside other security and military officials, added that Mexico's prohibition on the death penalty should be respected by other countries. He did not go into further detail.

Several of the individuals handed over to U.S. authorities face possible death sentences, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

"This is being done under the rules of a specific law, which is the national security law, which establishes the parameters for political stability in both Mexico and the United States," said Gertz, referring to Thursday's handover.

Mexico expelled ex-Guadalajara Cartel boss Rafael Caro Quintero - convicted of murdering a DEA agent in 1985 - to the United States, along with 28 other accused drug gang leaders.

Lawyers for many of them accuse the Mexican government of violating their rights with the forced U.S. transfer.

While Mexican law mandates that if one of its citizens is being extradited to face charges in another country, the individual will not face the death penalty, no such guarantees were provided in this case.