Mexico has extradited Sergio Miguel Vega Mendoza, also known as “The Whip,” a high-ranking member of the Sinaloa cartel, to the United States to face pending drug and conspiracy charges. The 51-year-old alleged money man was handed over to U.S. agents at the Mexico City International Airport late last week.
According to Mexican authorities, Vega was a key figure in the cartel from 2012 to 2015, responsible for coordinating and supervising the transportation of large quantities of drugs for distribution in the United States. He will face charges in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
Vega was arrested on July 1, 2019, at the Mexico City airport as he was about to board a flight to Sinaloa. At the time, Mexican authorities described him as the chief financial operator for Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar, one of the sons of jailed drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman Loera, known as one of the Chapitos.
The U.S. Department of Justice has launched a major investigation into the Sinaloa cartel, which included a fentanyl trafficking indictment against 28 members of the cartel, including Guzman Salazar and his relatives. The U.S. government has offered a $10 million reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Guzman Salazar.
