Mexico's Infamous Drug Lord Rafael Caro Quintero Arrested After Release in 2013

Notorious drug kingpin Rafael Caro Quintero has been arrested in Mexico by Mexican forces after walking out of prison in 2013.

Upon his release, Caro Quintero has reportedly dabbed once again in drug trafficking, based on the Mexican government's national arrest registry, as reported by Associated Press News report.

The registry noted that Caro Quintero was arrested around midday and was in transit. However, there were no additional details regarding his capture.

An official with Mexico's navy also confirmed the rest, though he was not authorized to speak publicly and only agreed to confirm it if not mentioned by name.

Caro Quintero is considered as FBI Most Wanted in 2018. The Federal Bureau of Investigations offered a reward of up to $20 million for information leading to his arrest.

Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador noted that he is still not interested in capturing drug lords and "prefers to avoid violence."

Caro Quintero's arrest came just days after Lopez Obrador met with U.S. President Joe Biden in the White House.

Meanwhile, the Drug Enforcement Administration did not comment on the arrest of Caro Quintero.

Mike Vigil, the DEA's former chief of international operations, noted that Caro Quintero was believed to have been doing operations on his own. However, there had been rumors that he came back to the Sinaloa Cartel.

Rafael Caro Quintero

Rafael Caro Quintero is from La Noria, Sinaloa. He was known for being one of the co-founders of the Guadalajara Cartel.

During the 1970s and 1980s, Guadalajara Cartel had peaked when it comes to its operations and profit from drug trafficking. It mainly distributed cocaine, heroin, and marijuana from Mexico to the United States.

A Mexican appellate court ruling set Caro Quintero free in 2013 after serving 28 years, according to The Guardian report. U.S. authorities and Mexican prosecutors were outraged by the decision, leading the supreme court to reverse the ruling.

Since then, Caro Quintero had gone into hiding, with U.S. officials then accusing him of assuming a leadership role in the Sinaloa Cartel after El Chapo was arrested.

Vigil said that Caro Quintero's arrest is "probably one of the most important captures of the last decade" when it comes to the importance to DEA.

Another Mexican official noted that the Guadalajara co-founder will be extradited as quickly as possible.

Rafael Caro Quintero and DEA's Kiki Camarena

Rafael Caro Quintero was imprisoned for the 1985 kidnapping and killing of DEA agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena. Camarena's murder had tainted U.S.-Mexico relations, prompting limiting operations due to tensions.

USA Today News reported that prosecutors and agents confirmed to Camarena's widow, Mika Camarena, that witnesses provided accounts allegedly connecting DEA officials and Central Intelligence Agency operatives to the plot.

DEA units in Mexico destroyed millions of dollars worth of marijuana for the Guadalajara Cartel.

Camarena served in the U.S. Marine Corps before moving into law enforcement and becoming an agent for DEA in 1975. He was kidnapped in February 1985.

This article is owned by Latin Post

Written by: Mary Webber

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