The Government of Cuba extradited to Mexico the Chinese citizen Zhi Dong Zhang, accused of leading an international drug trafficking network. drugs and money laundering, and that was claimed by the United States justice system.
After his arrival in Mexican territory, the boss—known as Brother Wang— was handed over to the US authorities, as confirmed by the President’s Government Claudia Sheinbaum.
The Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC), Omar García Harfuch, confirmed the transfer to the United States of the alleged criminal, who had escaped from Mexico last July, after having been detained in that country since the end of October 2024.
“On July 31 (Zhi Dong Zhang) was detained in Cuba along with two other people and today he was handed over to the United States authorities,” García Harfuch indicated in a message in X.
The official explained that the surrender of the drug trafficker was the result of a joint operation by a group of Mexican entities and thanked the Government of Cuba “for its valuable collaboration” in the capture and return of Zhi Dong to Mexico.
Chinese drug lord wanted by the US would be detained in Cuba
From Cuba to Mexico
Previously, the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Minrex) had reported on the extradition to Mexico, as a result of a formal request from the authorities of that nation.
According to the Cuban Foreign Ministry, the person under investigation was arrested on July 31 for the alleged crimes of document falsification and human trafficking in Cuba, but not for drug trafficking crimes. Since then he has been in provisional prison.
“He was a fugitive from the Mexican authorities since July 2025, a country where he was serving a sentence for crimes associated with international drug trafficking,” reports the brief Minrex statement.
Zhi Dong Zhang had escaped house arrest in Mexico, where he was in the custody of the National Guard. He was previously in a high-security prison in that country, but a judge changed his prison status while he waited for his extradition to the United States.
Extradited to #Mexico Chinese citizen claimed by that country.
Statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
https://t.co/grPrrcvqf3 pic.twitter.com/0YRgcgRl3b
— Chancellery of Cuba (@CubaMINREX) October 24, 2025
Leader of a global network
The capo, whose arrest in Cuba had recently been reported by the newspaper The Countryis accused of laundering millions of dollars for Mexican gangs and smuggling large quantities of cocaine, fentanyl and methamphetamine.
Due to his criminal activity, he was a “priority objective” for the United States Government, according to the Spanish media.
According to official sources, days after his escape, Zhang tried to enter Russia, but the authorities of that country denied him entry due to a false passport. He later arrived in Cuba, where he was arrested.
The agency EFE remember that in October 2024, the Attorney General’s Office (FGR) of Mexico completed an arrest warrant against Zhang for the purposes of international extradition, for his probable responsibility in crimes of criminal association, international distribution of cocaine and operations with resources of illicit origin.
The investigation revealed that Zhang operated a global drug trafficking and money laundering network, with links to the Sinaloa and Jalisco Nueva Generación cartels, classified as terrorist organizations by Washington.
EFE / OnCuba
