Mexico has extradited notorious drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero and 28 other fugitive cartel members to the United States, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Thursday.
Caro Quintero, believed to be the founder of the Guadalajara cartel, was allegedly involved in the 1985 kidnapping, torture, and murder of DEA Special Agent Enrique Camarena Salazar. The DEA claims Salazar's killing was in retaliation for a 1984 raid by Mexican authorities on Caro Quintero's 2,500-acre marijuana farm.
After serving 28 years in a Mexican prison for his role in the murder, Caro Quintero was released in 2013 due to a technicality. However, Mexico's Supreme Court later overturned that decision. The FBI has since accused him of returning to drug trafficking as a senior leader of the Sinaloa cartel.
In July 2022, Caro Quintero was captured by the Mexican Navy in an operation that led to the deaths of 14 Marines in a helicopter crash. He was found hiding in bushes by a navy dog.
"Caro Quintero, a cartel kingpin who unleashed violence, destruction, and death across the United States and Mexico, has spent four decades atop DEA's most wanted fugitives list, and today we can proudly say he has arrived in the United States where justice will be served," 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. It is also a victory for the Camarena family. 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 is set to appear in court in New York on Friday. Meanwhile, Mexico's Attorney General's Office and the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection confirmed the extradition of 29 individuals held in different correctional facilities across the country.
The DOJ stated that those extradited include leaders and members of major drug cartels, such as the Sinaloa Cartel, Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), and Los Zetas. Among them are Martin Sotelo, accused of murdering Deputy Sheriff Ned Byrd in North Carolina, and Antonio Oseguera Cervantes, linked to CJNG.
"These defendants are collectively alleged to have been responsible for the importation into the United States of massive quantities of poison, including cocaine, methamphetamine, fentanyl, and heroin, as well as associated acts of violence," the DOJ said.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi emphasized that the cartel members would be prosecuted "to the fullest extent of the law in honor of the brave law enforcement agents who have dedicated their careers — and in some cases, given their lives — to protect innocent people from the scourge of violent cartels."
Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove added that the extraditions were "a consequence of a White House that negotiates from a position of strength, and an Attorney General who is willing to lead the Department with courage and ferocity."
