In 1985, Rafael Caro Quintero, a prominent drug kingpin responsible for the torture and murder of an American drug enforcement agent, was apprehended by Mexican military forces.
The 69-year-old was apprehended after a search dog named Max discovered him hiding in bushes in San Simon, Sinaloa, Mexico. 14 people were killed when a navy Blackhawk helicopter crashed during the operation.
According to a statement from the Mexican navy, Caro Quintero, 69, was apprehended after a search dog named Max, a bloodhound, flushed him out of hiding in shrubland in the town of San Simon in Sinaloa state during a joint operation by the navy and the attorney general’s office.
During the mission, a Blackhawk helicopter carrying 15 people crashed in the coastal city of Los Mochis, killing 14 of those on board, according to the statement. The sole survivor was reportedly severely injured.
Images on social media showed the helicopter’s wreckage in a field.
The cause of the helicopter’s “accident,” according to the navy, remains unknown.
Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, the president of Mexico, stated in a tweet that the chopper crashed just before landing after assisting in the capture of Caro Quintero. The crash will be investigated, he said.
Navy-released footage of Caro Quintero’s arrest showed him wearing pants, a drenched blue shirt, and a loose khaki jacket, with his face obscured. Men wearing camouflage clothing and carrying assault guns held him captive.
Caro Quintero was one of the primary suppliers of heroin, cocaine, and marijuana to the United States in the late 1970s and rose to prominence as a co-founder of the Guadalajara cartel, one of Latin America’s most powerful drug trafficking organizations during the 1980s, as depicted in the 2018 series Narcos: Mexico.
A Mexican judge overturned his 40-year sentence for the 1985 kidnapping and murder of US Drug Enforcement Administration agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena, allowing him to go free after 28 years in prison.
Nonetheless, the Supreme Court upheld the punishment, by which time Caro Quintero had already fled in a waiting vehicle.
He reportedly went underground and returned to drug trafficking, igniting violent turf wars in the border state of Sonora.
Caro Quintero was on the FBI’s most-wanted list, with a reward of $20 million (£16.9 million) for his apprehension.
The US administration applauded the arrest and stated that it would immediately request his extradition.
On Twitter, White House senior adviser for Latin America Juan Gonzalez tweeted, “This is monumental.”
In a statement, Attorney General Merrick Garland said: “No hiding place exists for those who kidnap, torture, and murder American law enforcement officers.
“DEA and their Mexican colleagues have worked tirelessly to bring Caro Quintero to justice for his alleged crimes, which include the torture and murder of DEA Special Agent Enrique ‘Kiki’ Camarena.
“We will seek his prompt extradition to the United States so that he can be punished for these crimes in the very judicial system that Special Agent Camarena sacrificed his life to preserve.”
The president of Mexico has already stated that he has no interest in apprehending drug lords and seeks to prevent violence. However, he was arrested just days after meeting with Vice President Joe Biden at the White House.
portrayed in Narcos
In 2018, Netflix debuted Narcos: Mexico, a spin-off of the famous drama based on the life of Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar that depicts Mexico’s drug battles.
Michael Pea plays DEA agent Kiki Camarena, while Diego Luna portrays Caro Quintero’s business partner Miguel ngel Félix Gallardo, the leader of the Guadalajara cartel. Tenoch Huerta portrays Caro Quintero.
The series examines the early origins of the Mexican drug wars and the cartel’s rise in the 1980s, dramatizing how different groups joined and expanded operations into a sophisticated worldwide corporation.
A location scout for the hit television series was discovered deceased in his vehicle in a remote region of central Mexico in 2017.
