He was the most wanted Mexican drug lord in the United States and has committed crimes such as kidnapping, torture and sticking: After nine years on the run, Rafael Caro Quintero has now been caught by Mexican police. He is a co-founder of the former Guadalajara cartel, the first major drug cartel in Mexico. Most recently, he is said to have led the smaller Caborca cartel.
The drug lord, who, like Pablo Escobar in Colombia in the 1980s, was known as the “narco de narcos” (“drug lord of drug lords”), was arrested by the navy in the mountain town of San Simón in the northwestern state of Sinaloa. . Tracker Max found him in a bush. A video shows him being taken away wearing jeans and a shirt. He will initially be housed in the maximum-security prison in Almoloya, 85 kilometers west of Mexico City.
Murder of US Narcotics Officer Ordered
US Attorney General Merrick B. Garland thanked Mexican authorities for the arrest of the 69-year-old in a statement from the US Department of Justice. Immediate extradition will be requested so that he can be tried in the United States. Then In 1985, Caro Quintero ordered the murder of Enrique “Kiki” Camarena, an American anti-drug enforcement officer. The co-founder of the former Guadalajara cartel, Mexico’s first major drug cartel, has been on the run since 2013.
$20 million bounty on bounty
At the time, he was released after 28 or 40 years in prison for alleged procedural errors. Mexico’s Supreme Court overturned that decision, but Caro Quintero was already in hiding by then. The State Department in Washington has put a $20 million bounty on his head. “The arrest is very, very important to the United States because Caro Quintero was the mastermind behind the murder of our agent Enrique ‘Kiki’ Camarena,” former DEA chief of international operations Mike Vigil told Sin Embargo. Caro Quintero is on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted List.
A few days ago, López Obrador was received by his American colleague Joe Biden during an official visit to Washington. The arrest of what was once Mexico’s most powerful drug lord could be interpreted as a goodwill gesture by Mexico towards Washington following tensions over security, investment and migration.
14 police officers killed in helicopter crash after arrest
The success of the arrest was somewhat clouded by an accident drama: After Caro Quinteros was arrested, a naval helicopter crashed. 14 passengers were killed and one officer was seriously injured. Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador announced that they all supported the arrest. The incident will be investigated.
According to the International Crisis Group, there are about 200 criminal groups active in Mexico. They are involved in drug trafficking, kidnappings, extortion and petrol theft, among other things. Some are also fighting for control of legitimate businesses such as avocado farming. Since the North American state began militarily waging the so-called drug war in 2006, the spiral of violence has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives. More than 100,000 people are said to have disappeared in Mexico.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
