> He'd likely be a free man if he were in Croatia or Kazakhstan.
Both narcotics trafficking and murder-for-hire are things for which the US has been known to send armed agents -- or actual military -- into foreign countries without coordination with the local government to capture people to be brought back to the US for trial.
> Even just hopping the border to Mexico would've required them to get international cooperation and extradite him.
No, it wouldn't. See, e.g., United States v. Alvarez-Machain, 504 U.S. 655 (1992)
Both narcotics trafficking and murder-for-hire are things for which the US has been known to send armed agents -- or actual military -- into foreign countries without coordination with the local government to capture people to be brought back to the US for trial.
> Even just hopping the border to Mexico would've required them to get international cooperation and extradite him.
No, it wouldn't. See, e.g., United States v. Alvarez-Machain, 504 U.S. 655 (1992)