Sinaloa Cartel Operator Who Supervised El Paso–Juárez Corridor Is Extradited to the US

"MX" for Borderland Beat

Jorge Luis Sánchez Morales

Mexico's Attorney General's Office (FGR) confirmed the extradition of five criminals to the U.S. this morning. One of them was Jorge Luis Sánchez Morales, a high-ranking Sinaloa Cartel operator who was based out of the El Paso–Juárez corridor.

According to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, Sánchez Morales was responsible for coordinating drug trafficking and money laundering activities for the Sinaloa Cartel from the Mexican state of Chihuahua and the U.S. state of Texas.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) also believes that Sánchez Morales was a leader and founder of a Sinaloa Cartel cell based in the El Paso–Juárez corridor. The picture presented above was taken before Sánchez Morales was handed over to U.S. officials. His eyes were blurred by Mexican officials to preserve his presumption of innocence, as required by Mexican law.

Other suspects extradited
In addition to Sanchez Moreles, Mexican authorities also extradited Crespín Nene-Pérez, who is wanted by the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado in Denver. He is wanted for the 1998 kidnapping and murder of his girlfriend Bonny Lee Baker. Denver investigators stated that they believed Nene-Perez was living in Guanajuato as a free man prior to his arrest.

The other extradited suspect was Moisés Bernal Ramírez, who is wanted by a court in Cobb, Georgia, for sexual abuse against two minors. From 2005 to 2011, Bernal Ramirez reportedly raped his two underage grand-daughters (aged 11 and 4). The victims said that he threatened to hurt them more if they if told anyone about what he was doing to them. The accused was living in Temixco, just outside Mexico City, and was arrested by the Federal Police in January.

All five extradited suspects, as presented by the Mexican media

Another suspect wanted for sexual abuse against a minor is Ligorio Felipe García-Cruz. In 2009 and 2010, he reportedly raped the daughter of his ex-girlfriend in Harris County, Texas. These incidents happened when her mother went to school or work. After he was charged by a court in Harris County, Garcia-Cruz fled to Mexico. He was arrested in Mexico City in January.

Salvador Martínez was also extradited to the U.S. to face drug-related charges in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas in Dallas. He faces drug trafficking and organized crime involvement charges and is believed to have been part of a drug ring in the Dallas area that distributed methamphetamine. 

All five suspects left Mexico from the Toluca International Airport and were sent to different cities across the U.S. to face trial for their charges.