Like El Chapo, Guadalajara Cartel Founder Rafael Caro Quintero Also Complains of 'Torture' in Mexico Altiplano Prison
Like Sinaloa Cartel boss Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman Loera, Guadalajara Cartel founder Rafael Caro Quintero also complained about "torture" inflicted on him in a maximum-security prison in the state of Mexico.
According to Borderland Beat, Caro Quintero filed an appeal against acts of torture inside the Altiplano prison. The lawsuit noted that the Guadalajara Cartel founder had suffered mistreatment and humiliation after being confined in the Altiplano prison following his arrest on July 15.
Milenio reported that the amparo was presented before a judge based in the city of Toluca in Mexico state by a person who identified himself as José Mora León.
The lawsuit alleged that Caro Quintero was a victim of "incommunicado detention, segregation, isolation, captivity with physical and psychological torments, mistreatment, abuse of authority, torture and life-threatening injuries."
The judge immediately ruled in favor of the Guadalajara Cartel founder, ordering jail authorities to stop these acts. The judge also directed the responsible authority to issue a report on the compliance of the protection measures within a period of not more than 24 hours.
A judge earlier granted an injunction to Caro Quintero that prevented his extradition to the United States at the moment.
That means the Guadalajara Cartel founder cannot be handed over to U.S. authorities without a trial being held first. It is still unknown how long the trial will take, but any delays will likely disappoint U.S. officials.
Guadalajara Cartel Founder Rafael Caro Quintero Arrested
Rafael Caro Quintero is one of the founders of Guadalajara Cartel, along with Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo, and Ernesto Fonseca Carrillo. Caro Quintero was considered a pioneer in Mexico's drug underworld during the 1980s.
He had already spent 28 years in prison for the brutal murder and torture of former U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena Salazar.
Caro Quintero was allegedly angry about a raid at Rancho Buffalo, a huge marijuana plantation in the Mexico's state of Chihuahua, at Camarena's demand. Mexican authorities seized the plantation.
Camarena was kidnapped in Guadalajara in February 1985. A month later, his lifeless body was discovered, with signs showing that he was tortured.
Caro Quintero, who was arrested in Costa Rica in the same year, has denied involvement in the killing of Camarena. In 2013, he was released by a Mexican judge on a technicality.
After his release, Caro Quintero reportedly resumed his role as a violent drug trafficker. U.S. officials then put him on the FBI's Top 10 most wanted fugitives list and set a $20 million bounty on his head.
The Guadalajara Cartel founder was arrested again in Sinaloa, Mexico last month. The U.S. government hailed the arrest and said it would waste no time requesting his extradition.
Sinaloa Cartel Boss El Chapo Also Complained of 'Torture' in Altiplano Prison in Mexico State
In 2016, El Chapo said he had been tortured through mistreatment while imprisoned in Altiplano. The Sinaloa Cartel boss also filed a formal complaint alleging he had been tortured and his health deteriorated while under prison officials' care.
El Chapo said officials were not allowing him to see his family and to sleep due to roll calls every four hours. He also cited his prison cell, where the lights were kept on 24 hours a day, and his only human contact was with masked guards.
El Chapo noted that he became depressed and suffered hallucinations and memory loss due to harsh conditions in the maximum-security prison. Los Angeles Times reported that his lawyers and psychiatrist reported his condition.
The Sinaloa Cartel boss was first arrested in Guatemala in 1993 and extradited to Mexico. He escaped from prison in 2001 and was apprehended again in 2014 in Sinaloa, Mexico.
El Chapo again escaped from prison through a tunnel the following year. In 2016, Mexican officials announced that the Sinaloa Cartel boss had been captured again and was sent back to Altiplano prison.
El Chapo was extradited to the U.S. the following year. He was sentenced to spend the rest of his days in the ADX Florence "supermax" prison in Colorado after being sentenced to life imprisonment in 2019.
READ MORE: El Chapo's Wife Emma Coronel Could Dismantle Sinaloa Cartel by Cutting Deal With U.S.: Report
This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Mary Webber
WATCH: Mexico Captures Infamous Drug Lord Rafael Caro Quintero - From CBS 8 San Diego
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