News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 27, 2010
Contact: SA Wendell Campbell
Public Information Officer
Number: (713) 693-3000

Alleged Head of the Quintero Drug Trafficking Enterprise Extradited to U.S. From Mexico

Eight-year battle by defendant to avoid extradition ends with one way trip to San Antonio

APR 27 -- Juan Jose Quintero-Payan, 68, of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, has been extradited to Texas to face charges of four felony violations of the drug and racketeering statutes, José Angel Moreno and John E. Murphy, United States Attorneys for the Southern and Western Districts of Texas, respectively, announced today along with Zoran Yankovich, special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Houston Division.

Following the return of a sealed superseding indictment by a San Antonio grand jury and the issuance of a provisional arrest warrant in 2002, Quintero was arrested in Mexico. Quintero fought against his extradition for eight years. On Friday, April 23, 2010, Quintero was extradited by Mexico and transported to San Antonio in the company of U.S. agents. The indictment was unsealed on Monday, April 26, 2010, following Quintero’s initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Pamela A. Mathy in San Antonio. Quintero has been ordered to remain in federal custody without bond pending further criminal proceedings.

Moreno praised the dedication of the agents and prosecutors as well as the Office of International Affairs in the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division who have worked throughout the years to bring Quintero to justice. “The successful extradition of Mr. Quintero-Payan shows that joint international efforts work and that the rule of lawlessness is ultimately subservient to the rule of law,â€