Drug cartel leader Rafael Caro Quintero, one of 29 cartel members extradited from Mexico to the U.S. on Thursday, is reportedly set to be arraigned in U.S. federal court on Friday.
Rafael Caro Quintero was extradited from Mexico to the U.S. on Thursday. (FBI via AP, File)
Rafael Caro Quintero, nicknamed “El Narco de Narcos” (The Narco of Narcos) is the founder of the now defunct Guadalajara Cartel—one of the most powerful drug cartels of the 1980s that later splintered into various groups, including the Sinaloa Cartel, one of the world’s most powerful criminal organizations and drug cartels.
Mexico’s decision to hand over Quintero and 28 others—one of the biggest such extraditions by the country—is likely an effort to placate President Donald Trump, who has accused the country’s leaders of failing to crack down on drug trafficking and threatened to impose import tariffs of 25% starting next week.
Quintero was convicted in Mexico of masterminding the 1985 killing of Drug Enforcement Administration agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena—whose life and eventual murder was portrayed in the television series “Narcos: Mexico.”
Although Quintero denied involvement in Camarena’s killing, the murder is believed to be an act of retaliation after an aerial photo provided by the DEA agent helped Mexican authorities conduct a raid on the drug kingpin’s 2,500-acre marijuana farm in 1984.
Quintero is also believed to have carried out the torture and killing of two other American citizens, writer John Clay Walker and tourist Alberto Radelat, after they walked into a restaurant where Quintero and his associates were having a private party.
Get Forbes Breaking News Text Alerts: We’re launching text message alerts so you'll always know the biggest stories shaping the day’s headlines. Text “Alerts” to (201) 335-0739 or sign up here.
According to various reports, Quintero is expected to be arraigned in a U.S. federal court in New York on Friday on drug trafficking charges.
After Camarena’s murder, Quintero fled to Costa Rica, but a few months later he was arrested by Mexican authorities and extradited to his home country. The drug lord was convicted of the DEA agent’s murder along with other crimes and sentenced to 40 years in prison. Quintero, however, would serve only 28 years of his 40-year sentence before a Mexican court ordered his release, ruling that he had been incorrectly tried. The Mexican Supreme Court overturned the decision soon after, but Quintero became a fugitive and was put on the FBI’s top 10 most wanted list. During this period, he resumed working as a senior leader in the Sinaloa cartel, which had splintered from his Guadalajara Cartel after his arrest in 1985. In 2022, Quintero was recaptured in an operation conducted by the Mexican Navy. Although the drug lord was captured, 14 Mexican Naval personnel were killed in the mission after the Black Hawk helicopter carrying them crashed in Sinaloa.
After the announcement of Quintero’s extradition on Thursday, DEA Acting Administrator Derek S. Maltz said: “This moment is extremely personal for the men and women of DEA who believe Caro Quintero is responsible for the brutal torture and murder of DEA Special Agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena…Today sends a message to every cartel leader, every trafficker, every criminal poisoning our communities: You will be held accountable. No matter how long it takes, no matter how far you run, justice will find you.”
Caro Quintero, the Narco of Narcos, the coveted trophy that the US has been pursuing for 40 years (El Pais)