Mexico set a new high in extraditing criminal suspects to the U.S. on Sunday, reaching a total of 100 so far this year in what the U.S. Embassy called a “record for bilateral cooperation between the two countries.”The Embassy said Mexican authorities sent back 11 suspects Sunday sought in the United States for crimes include murder, rape and drug trafficking. That raised the number for 2009 to 100 extraditions, compared to 95 in all of last year. Mexico’s deputy attorney general in charge of extraditions, Leopoldo Velarde Ortiz, said the reason for Mexico’s more willing attitude “is a clear understanding that we cannot allow impunity, and that we have to stop crime...this action by Mexico demonstrates it will not allow its country to be a refuge and hiding place for criminals.”
