Mexico handed over 29 alleged drug lords to the United States for reasons of national security and outside the countries' extradition treaty, the attorney general said Friday. "This is a national security request that the United States justified based on the criminal conduct of those individuals in that country,

The Mexican authorities, amid threats of imposing 25 percent duties, handed over to the United States 29 drug lords who were sentenced or accused of leading drug cartels, murders and other crimes. This is reported by Reuters and CNN.

Mexico has sent drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero, who killed a DEA agent 40 years ago, to the United States along with 28 other prisoners requested by the U.S. government.