Major Cartel Figures Charged in Texas Courts Following Largest U.S.–Mexico Fugitive Transfer

Mexican National Fugitives Transferred to U.S. Custody on January 21, 2026. Photo Courtesy of Department of Justice.

Federal authorities took custody Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026, of 37 Mexican nationals accused of serious federal crimes, including narcoterrorism, large-scale drug trafficking, firearms offenses, and human smuggling, following a coordinated transfer from Mexico to the United States — with multiple cases tied directly to Texas federal courts.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, several of the fugitives are charged in the Southern District of Texas and the Western District of Texas, including indictments originating in Brownsville and cases connected to the Falcon Lake corridor, a long-recognized trafficking hotspot along the Texas–Mexico border.

One of the defendants, Juan Pedro Saldivar-Farias, is charged in the Southern District of Texas with operating a continuing criminal enterprise tied to the Falcon Lake area, where authorities allege multi-ton quantities of narcotics were routinely trafficked into the United States. Federal prosecutors say the region served as a key cartel-controlled crossing point for marijuana, cocaine, and other drugs entering Texas.

Additional defendants are charged in the Western District of Texas, including individuals accused of narcoterrorism, firearms trafficking, and material support of designated foreign terrorist organizations. Several face maximum penalties of life imprisonment if convicted.

Federal officials described the transfer as the largest such operation ever conducted under Mexico’s National Security Law, marking only the third time the statute has been used to expel fugitives to the United States.

Authorities say cartel organizations operating along the Texas border — including factions of the Sinaloa Cartel, Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), and Cartel del Golfo — have played a significant role in the flow of fentanyl and other narcotics into the United States, contributing to rising overdose deaths and regional violence.

The cases will be prosecuted in federal courts across the country, including Texas, California, Arizona, New York, and Florida, with sentencing to be determined by federal judges.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.