Mexico City –
Mexico managed to catch a drug lord whose name is included in the list of 10 most wanted fugitives by Federal Bureau of Investigation United States (US) or the FBI. A 69-year-old drug lord is wanted by the FBI for killing an undercover US agent.
As reported AFPSaturday (16/7/2022), Rafael Caro Quintero (69) was accused by US authorities of ordering the kidnapping, torture and murder of a special agent of the Drug Enforcement Authority (DEA) named Enrique ‘Kiki’ Camarena in 1985 ago.
The Mexican Navy in a statement announced that Caro Quintero has been detained by Mexican Marines in the city of Choix, Sinaloa state. The detentions were carried out for ‘extradition purposes’.
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Caro Quintero was previously arrested in 1985, tried in Mexico and sentenced to 40 years in prison for the Camarena murder. But in 2013, a Mexican court ordered the release of Caro Quintero for technical legal reasons after serving 28 years in prison.
The release sparked the wrath of US authorities. When Mexico’s Supreme Court overturned the acquittal, Caro Quintero had disappeared into hiding.
The case brought US and Mexican diplomatic relations into crisis, and it took years for the two countries’ anti-drug agencies to rebuild trust.
Caro Quintero alias Rafa became a fugitive in exchange for US $ 20 million set for him. The FBI called Caro Quintero ‘extremely dangerous’. He is accused of co-founding the now disbanded Guadalajara drug cartel, and currently running a branch of the notorious Sinaloa drug cartel.
Mexican drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero becomes one of the FBI’s 10 most wanted fugitives Photo: Federal Bureau of Investigation/ Handout via REUTERS— |
In response to the arrests, the US Department of Justice thanked Mexican authorities. The US Department of Justice also confirmed plans to seek the extradition of Caro Quintero to its territory.
“There is no hiding place for anyone who kidnaps, tortures and kills American law enforcement officers,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.
(nvc/idh)
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