Rafael Caro Quintero Arrested. Day 1

Borderland Beat Contributors

This was a live post that was periodically updated with the latest information by Borderland Beat contributors. 

Rafael Caro Quintero, the leader of the Caborca Cartel and a top target of the United States government has been captured by the Mexican Navy in San Simón, Sinaloa. There were initially multiple conflicting reports as to the location of his arrest, first having the operation taking place in Guachochi, Chihuahua.

Navy sources confirmed that the operation carried out this Friday by elements of Semar and the Attorney General's Office (FGR), was to complete a provisional arrest warrant for extradition purposes to the United States against the leader of the extinct Guadalajara Cartel.

Quintero founded the Guadalajara Cartel with Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo in the 1970s. He built a drug empire exporting product to the United States, placing himself in the cross hairs of US drug agents. After kidnapping, brutally torturing, and murdering undercover DEA agent Enrique Camarena in 1985, Quintero became the top target for the US government. He had a 20 million dollar bounty from the FBI.

According to Milenio, Quintero has an extradition order from the US government and two arrest warrants from the Mexican Attorney General's office.

The capture occurred just days after Mexico's President Lopez Obrador visited President Joe Biden in Washington, D.C. 

In an official Justice Department press release, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland announced that the United States will pursue the extradition of Quintero, saying: "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."

Background on Rafael Caro Quintero

Rafael Caro Quintero, known as RCQ is considered a godfather of Mexican drug trafficking He along with other members of the Guadalajara Cartel was one of the primary suppliers of heroin, cocaine, and marijuana to the United States in the late 1970s and into the 1980s. 

In 1984, Mexican authorities raided a sprawling marijuana plantation owned by Caro-Quintero, and he blamed undercover DEA agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena for the raid.

The following year, Camarena was close to uncovering a million-dollar drug pipeline from Mexico to the United States, but before he was able to expose the operation, the DEA Agent was kidnapped in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, allegedly on direct orders from Caro-Quintero. Camarena’s body, which showed signs of torture, was found a month later.

RCQ’s Arrest in 1985

Caro Quintero was wanted for allegedly being involved in the kidnapping, torture and murder of DEA Agent Enrique “Kiki" Camarena and Mexican pilot Alfredo Zavala in 1985.

He was arrested in Costa Rica in April 1985. After being extradited to Mexico, he was tried and convicted and sentenced to serve 40 years in prison in Mexico.

Release from Mexican Prison in 2013

A Collegiate Court of Guadalajara justified Caro Quintero’s release from prison in August 2013, when he had served 28 years out of the 40 that he had to serve. His guilt was not alleged, but the issue arose over what court should judge him, one of the federal jurisdiction or a local court. Under his protection, he was favored because he should have been prosecuted at the state level.

On January 16, 2015, the Second Unitary Court of the Third Circuit based in Guadalajara, Jalisco, ordered the immediate re-arrest of Caro Quintero to comply with the enforcement of Amparos 180/2011 and 101/2013, in which he was criminally considered responsible for kidnapping and murders of Kiki Camarena and the pilot Alfredo Zavala.

The judicial authorities ruled that the execution of the former agent, as an official of the U.S. government, represented a crime under federal jurisdiction, for which he had been prosecuted in the correct court. 

“Together with our federal partners at the DEA, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the U.S. Department of State, we are committed to bringing to justice this dangerous criminal and cartel leader responsible for the brutal murder of a DEA agent,” said FBI Deputy Director David Bowdich. “Special Agent Camarena was devoted to stopping drug trafficking and breaking the cycle of drug-related crime. He showed tremendous courage to pursue the most violent drug traffickers, and it is because of his courage and his selflessness that we’re not going to stop looking for Caro-Quintero until we find him and put him back behind bars where he belongs.”

Added to FBI’s Team Most Wanted Fugitives List in 2018

The US justice has since offered a $20 million reward USD for information leading to his capture, which is the highest reward ever filed for a fugitive. Until his capture, he was considered one of the 10 most wanted men in the world by the FBI.

“Our objective all along has been to investigate RCQ’s current activities but also to hold him accountable for Special Agent Camarena’s murder,” Ellersick said. To that end, the FBI is working closely with the DEA, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the U.S. Department of State, which is providing the $20 million reward through its Narcotics Rewards Program.

The announcement to add Caro-Quintero to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list was made during a press conference in 2018 at DEA Headquarters near Washington, D.C.

Caborca Cartel Leadership

It is worth mentioning that Caro Quintero, 69 years old, would be behind much of the violence that has been generated in recent months in the state of Sonora, especially with the so-called Caborca Cartel, which disputes control of the area with the Sinaloa Cartel including the sons of “El Chapo,” dubbed Los Chapitos.

“Caro-Quintero had tremendous power three decades ago, and he still has power today,” said Russ Ellersick, an FBI special agent in the Seattle Division who is investigating the case. Ellersick is one of many federal law enforcement officers and intelligence analysts working collaboratively across North America to bring RCQ to justice and dismantle the powerful Sinaloa Cartel with which he is allegedly affiliated.

Nine years after his release, Naval Intelligence sources confirmed Friday afternoon, that Rafael Caro Quintero, who was wanted by the Mexican justice system and the United States was recaptured. According to Milenio and Infobae, Quintero has an extradition order from the US government as well as two arrest warrants by the Attorney General's Office (FGR).

This is likely the most important arrest of the six-year term of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, above José Antonio Yépez Ortiz, "El Marro,” leader of the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel (CSRL), who was captured in October 2021 in Guanajuato.

Possible Extradition to the United States

The United States will push for his extradition. Given that he has already lost appeals against his extradition should he be captured, it is likely to happen quickly.

Last year, in 2021, RCQ lost his final legal appeal against possible extradition to the United States. A federal judicial official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the ruling against Caro.

Reforma said judges at the Mexico City criminal court had by majority vote dismissed the veteran trafficker's appeal that the crimes for which the United States wants to prosecute him were strictly a matter for Mexican justice. One judge dissented.

In an official Justice Department press release, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland announced that the United States will pursue the extradition of Quintero, saying: "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."

US Charges Against RCQ

When the US government reiterated its interests against him, they revealed accusations in the Federal Court of the Eastern District of New York with an account of his criminal activities from 1980 to 2017.

But the DEA already had him on its list of the 10 most wanted fugitives for crimes filed since 1987 in the Central District Court of California, including accusations about the kidnapping and subsequent execution of Enrique Kiki Camarena, an undercover drug agency agent, and of the Mexican pilot Alfredo Zavala.

According to court records, the charges in Brooklyn represent a 40-year history, even while Caro Quintero was in jail and when he was released from prison in 2013, after his arrest in Costa Rica in 1985.

Sources: Milenio, El Universal , Borderland Beat, FBI.gov, Infobae, MilenioTV Interview, Infobae. El Universal, DOJ

Timeline of Updates/New Information

3:35 pm 

Jorge A. Medellín alleges the arrest occurred in Sinaloa. 

Sinembargo is reporting that the arrest occurred in “Guachochi, Sinaloa”, which does not appear to be a real place. They may have meant Guachochi, Chihuahua. 

3:45 pm 

Telediario, Infobae, and En La Hora all are reporting that the arrest occurred in Guachochi, Chihuahua.  

4:25 pm 

A new article by Reuters, citing two sources they spoke to, is reporting RCQ’s arrest occurred in Chihuahua.

4:45 pm

Riodoce is reporting that a SEMAR UH-60M Black Hawk helicopter crashed in the area of Los Mochis, Sinaloa.

Twitter user Jorge A. Medellín is reporting the helicopter was involved in the operation that captured RCQ, however, this has not been confirmed by any official sources.

4:55 pm

Twitter users like Por los Pasillos and Libro Negro are reporting that four to six people died in the Los Mochis helicopter crash. 

Still unknown if the helicopter is in any way related to the operation to capture RCQ.

5:20 pm 

An image of what appears to be an official entry into the National Detention Registry is being shared by publications like Diario 24 Horas on Twitter. The entry appears to read that the status of his detention is currently “In Transit”. 

5:25 pm 

The New York Times is reporting that he was “captured in a joint operation involving the Mexican marines and the country’s prosecutor’s office near the town of San Simón, in the state of Sinaloa.”

5:46 pm 

Milenio is reporting that 9 have died in the helicopter crash in a rural area of Los Mochis. It is still not known if this helicopter is related in any way to the capture of RCQ.

5:46 pm 

Riodoce is also reporting the arrest took place in San Simon, Choix, Sinaloa. The location of the arrest is still disputed with no official statement.

6:50 pm

El Universal posted a video showing the arrest of Caro Quintero, based on his appearance, he had been running from the soldiers.