DRUG EXTRADITION SOUGHT
Copyright (c) 1997, The Washington Post

The U.S. government has asked Mexico to extradite alleged
Gulf drug cartel leader Oscar Malherbe de Leon, who was
captured last month, the Justice Department said.

The United States has made it clear that it considers
the Malherbe extradition case a test of Mexico's
willingness to cooperate in the drug war. Justice
Department spokesman John Russell said the United States
has asked Mexico for the provisional arrest of 60 other
accused drug traffickers, both Mexican and U.S. citizens in
Mexico.