The immense fortune of Caro Quintero: What the “Narco de Narcos” accumulated while in prison

Chivis Martinez Borderland Beat from Infobae

Unofficially, it is known that the so-called “Narco de Narcos” accumulated up to 500 million dollars

Throughout the 40 years that drug trafficker Rafael Caro Quintero was imprisoned, his family created a business network legally constituted by at least 30 companies.

According to the newspaper El Universal, all businesses were established in the city of Guadalajara, Jalisco, and covered various items: from real estate, dealerships of new and used cars, services in telephone booths, restaurants, fashion and footwear and spas, to the distribution of fuel and mining.

The businesses were created with the participation of 25 trusted members of the so-called “Narco de Narcos”, currently a fugitive from justice. Among those 25 members of family, of which includes a wife, four children, a son-in-law, a daughter-in-law and their "consuegros".  

Unofficially it is estimated that the capo, currently 67 years old and a native of Sinaloa, has accumulated a fortune of almost 500 million dollars.

Caro Quintero was arrested in San José, Costa Rica, on April 4, 1985, charged with the murder of the member of the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), Enrique "Kiki" Camarena, and other crimes. Therefore, he was added to  the list of the 10 most wanted by the United States government.

In August 2013, after being 28 years in prison, Rafael Caro Quintero was released due to failures in due process and although the United States government was to be notified, it was already too late as they discovered the “error” after the release.

From that moment, the former leader of the Guadalajara Cartel is considered a fugitive from justice, so in April 2018, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) increased the reward to $20 million to whomever can provide data that leads to his capture.

Since 2017, the name "Rafael Caro Quintero" is a registered trademark, so it is prevented that this denomination be used without consent for entertainment services, sports and cultural activities or production of radio and television programs.

Permission must be granted to use photographic material, stationery, as well as material for artists, drawing, instructional instruction for printed publications unless the rights are paid.

According to El Universal , both his name and both surnames have two records in the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property (IMPI) . However, the boss is not the beneficiary of these records, but his sentimental partner and mother of his fifth son Diana Altagracia Espinoza Aguilar, [above] is a beauty queen and who was imprisoned in the Puente Grande Penal, for organized crime.

The newspaper notes that the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), a financial control agency under the US Department of the Treasury that tracks the fortunes of dirty drug trafficking money, denounced the family and partner network related to Caro Quintero, since 2013, and in 2016 included Diana Espinoza, who owned 24 companies.

However, through public records obtained by the newspaper El Universal it was found that the network extends to other sectors in more than 30 mercantile societies opened by the members of his family.

Although in August of this year four partners accused of drug trafficking linked to Caro Quintero were removed from the blacklist of the OFAC, all members of their family were registered.

The company Organic Salt, SA de CV , founded in 2003, was with which the family of Caro Quintero ventured into the world of business ventures of lawful commercial, financial, real estate and industrial investments.

Then came other businesses such as fuel distribution. In 2004, the sons of the boss Héctor Rafael and Honoch Emilio Caro Helenes, opened Grupo Español Elcar SA de CV , in 2005 they opened Servicio y Operadora Santa Ana SA de CV .; Energéticos Vago SA de CV in 2006 and Petro Mas, S. de RL de CV in 2007.

In addition, the brothers Héctor Rafael, Roxana Elizabeth, Henoch Emilio and Mario Yibran Caro Helenes founded Petro Bio S. de RL de CV in 2008 and Estación de Servicio Atemajac, SA de CV , in 2010.

El Universal details that real estate businesses started in 1999 with Villas de Colli, SA de CV , then Barsat SA de CV came in 2004; Grupo Barsaterra SA de CV and Desarrolladora Francisco del Rincón SA de CV in 2005. For 2007, Henoch and Yibran founded Nueva Terra SA de CV and Dinermas S. de RL de CV., While Desarrollos Bio Gas, SA de CV.

It was established in 2008.

At the same time, they entered the mining business. In 2006 they created Minerales Nueva Era, SA de CV, while in 2010, Henoch opened Minerales Nueva Generación SA de CV, in order to consolidate in the sector.

While with the company Hacienda Las Limas SA de CV the women of the family instilled in the hotel business, spa, cafes, restaurants and bars.

El Universal also reports other companies that cover agricultural activities, breweries and restaurant chains, including geography and satellite imagery