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Google PlayMexican drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero, who was convicted of killing a U.S. DEA agent in 1985, was arrested on Friday by a joint law task force.
Quintero, 66, was a cofounder of the Guadalajara Cartel and is portrayed in the hit Netflix series Narcos: Mexico. He was captured Friday night following a lengthy manhunt carried out by the Mexican marines and the Secretary of the Navy, called SEMAR.
Quintero’s arrest resulted in the deaths of 14 military personnel, who died when a navy Blackhawk helicopter crashed during the operation. Law enforcement is currently investigating the cause of the crash.
Quintero previously spent 28 years in prison for killing DEA Special Agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena, but was released in 2013 and returned to drug trafficking. Quintero will be held at the maximum security Altiplano prison, which is located about 50 miles west of Mexico City.
“There is no hiding place for anyone who kidnaps, tortures, and murders American law enforcement. We are deeply grateful to Mexican authorities for their capture and arrest of Rafael Caro-Quintero,” Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in a statement.
“Today’s arrest is the culmination of tireless work by DEA and their Mexican partners to bring Caro-Quintero to justice for his alleged crimes, including the torture and execution of DEA Special Agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena,” Garland added. “We will be seeking his immediate extradition to the United States so he can be tried for these crimes in the very justice system Special Agent Camarena died defending.”
He concluded, “We join in mourning the 14 Mexican servicemembers who gave their lives in service to their country and extend our condolences to the loved ones they left behind.”
