Mexico has extradited dozens of prisoners to the US including a drug trafficker wanted since the 1980s as President Donald Trump prepares to impose tariffs on the country, according to a person familiar with the matter.

President Claudia Sheinbaum’s government said it sent 29 wanted criminals to the US on the same day her cabinet was holding high-level security meetings in Washington with Secretary of State Marco Rubio to try to ward off a 25 per cent tariff on its goods.

Those extradited include Rafael Caro Quintero, who has been wanted by the US since 1985 when he was accused of the murder of Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena, according to a person familiar with the matter. He is a founder of the Guadalajara Cartel that trafficked marijuana, opioids and other drugs to the US.