A high-ranking member of one of Mexico’s most powerful and violent drug cartels — known as “The Scorpion” — has been extradited to the United States after spending almost a decade on the run, authorities say.

Juan Manuel Abouzaid El Bayeh, 52, was handed over to the US Marshals Service on Monday after being arrested in Mexico in 2021.

He faces charges of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and methamphetamine, according to federal officials.

El Bayeh, who is known as “El Escorpion” or “The Scorpion,” was a known top associate of the prolific Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG), authorities said.

The cartel came to power in Jalisco, Mexico, in 2009 after taking advantage of the downfall of the Valencia/Milenio cartel.

Its alleged ruthless leader, Ruben Oseguera-Cervantes — referred to by his alias “el Mencho” — is one of the Drug Enforcement Agency’s (DEA) most-wanted fugitives, with a $10 million bounty on his head.

Oseguera-Cervantes led CJNG through bloody turf battles to gain control over strategic areas for drug distribution, eventually turning the criminal organization into one of the five most dangerous transnational cartels designated by the Department of Justice (DOJ), according to officials.

“The cartel has established itself around the world, not just dumping all the drugs in America, they’re sending drugs to 30, 40, 50 countries . . . because the market for drugs is exploding,” Derek Maltz, who once  served as the DEA’s chief of special operations, told The Post.

El Bayeh was part of a special group within CJNG run by Oseguera-Cervantes, according to Univision.

“This guy is just another high-ranking confidante of El Mencho, who is obviously a significant player,” Maltz said.

A federal grand jury in Washington indicted El Bayeh on drug-trafficking charges in May 2017.

Mexican authorities blocked El Bayeh’s bank accounts in June 2020, according to the Treasury Department.

In March 2021, the Treasury Department designated El Bayeh a drug trafficker “for providing material support to” CJNG.

However, while Maltz said he’s glad to see the extradition, it will not likely stem the flow   of  drugs across the border.

“It’s well beyond criminal cases against cartel leadership, we’re well beyond that,” Maltz said, explaining  there needs to be a powerful effort to cut the cartels’ supply chain.

El Bayeh is expected to have his first court appearance May 17 in Washington, DC, according to Border Report.