Rafael Caro-Quintero Pleads Not Guilty in New York Court to Killing DEA Agent 'Kiki' Camarena

"Socalj" for Borderland Beat

At Rafael Caro-Quintero's arraignment in New York federal court, Assistant US Attorney Saritha Komatireddy said Caro-Quintero "pioneered Mexican drug trafficking" and the violent enforcement of his cartel's turf. 

His court-appointed attorney entered a not guilty plea on his behalf and did not contest pretrial detention. Caro Quintero was among 29 top drug operatives in Mexico who were expelled and transferred to the U.S. under pressure from the Trump administration.

Judge Robert M. Levy clarified in court Caro Quintero was expelled from Mexico under a provision within the national security law, which permits the Mexican government to remove an individual without undergoing the formal extradition process.

“After 40 years, the man who murdered DEA agent Enrique Camarena is finally here to face justice in the United States,” said Komatireddy in court Friday. Caro spent the last decade hiding in the jungles of Sinaloa “hoping we would forget,” Komatireddy said, adding the drug kingpin could face the death penalty.

Frank Tarentino, the special agent in charge of the DEA’s New York division, said the arrest serves as a reminder that, “if you hurt one of us, there is no obstacle we cannot overcome.”

“There is no border we will not cross, and there is no criminal that can escape the reach of the DEA and the rule of law of the United States of America,” he went on. 

"The Narco of Narcos"

Caro Quintero was first indicted in the Eastern District of New York in 2015, and a third superseding indictment was returned against him in 2018. 

According to the DOJ, the indictment and other public filings, Caro Quintero’s involvement in drug trafficking and violence is extensive, ruthless, and notorious. Known as the “Narco of Narcos,” Caro Quintero started cultivating marijuana as a teenager in Mexico in the 1960s and developed transportation and distribution networks and routes that enabled him to move that marijuana into the United States. Caro Quintero also manufactured and trafficked heroin and methamphetamine from Mexico into the United States. 

Caro Quintero then joined with Colombian cocaine manufacturers to use his networks and routes to traffic cocaine from South America, through Central America and Mexico, into the United States. By the 1970s, Caro Quintero’s organization became known as the Guadalajara Cartel, which ultimately joined the syndicate known as the “Sinaloa Cartel” (or Mexican “Federation”), the largest drug trafficking organization in the world.

In 1985, Caro Quintero ordered the kidnapping, torture, and murder of DEA Special Agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena. Caro Quintero believed Camarena was responsible for leading the Mexican government to seize Caro Quintero’s largest ranch in Chihuahua, Rancho Buffalo. 

Caro Quintero’s men abducted Camarena and took him to a location where he was tortured and interrogated for approximately two days, after which Caro Quintero and his men killed Camarena.

Later in 1985, Caro Quintero went to prison in Mexico. Nevertheless, from 1985 to 2013, while in prison, Caro Quintero continued operating his drug trafficking organization (the “Caro Quintero DTO”), using family members and associates on the outside to assist him. The Caro Quintero DTO trafficked large quantities of marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine, and heroin into the United States.

Caro Quintero spent 28 years in prison in Mexico for his role in the murder before he was released on a technicality in 2013. The Mexican Supreme Court later overturned the decision that freed him.

After his release from prison in 2013, Caro Quintero went into hiding and continued running the Caro Quintero DTO from various locations in the mountains of Sinaloa. The Sinaloa Cartel provided Caro Quintero with protection during this time.

Caro Quintero and the members and associates of his organization carried firearms in furtherance of their drug trafficking activities, including pistols and AK-47s. Caro Quintero himself carried a Colt .38 Super pistol with a diamond encrusted handle and “R-1” written in gold.

In July 2022, Caro Quintero was captured by the Mexican Navy during an operation that resulted in the deaths of 14 Marines in a helicopter crash after the capture. He was caught after Mexican Navy dog Max found him hiding in bushes.

A DEA agent was allowed to join U.S. Marshals in escorting Caro Quintero from the courtroom, a symbolic gesture.

The handcuffs used to secure Caro-Quintero into US custody belonged to 'Kiki' Camerana and had been kept by his son, a San Diego judge.

Frank Tarentino added he spoke with Camarena’s son, Enrique Camarena Jr., who is now a judge in San Diego.

“He was very grateful, very appreciative, relieved, in some sense, that justice has been served and will continue to be served as this process unfolds,” Tarentino said after the hearing. “His family is keenly aware of these proceedings, and as this case moves forward, we’ll keep them apprised of what’s happening.”

The family put out a statement expressing gratitude to law enforcement agencies and the president for bringing in the suspect.

"For 14,631 days, we held on to hope — hope that this moment would come. Hope that we would live to see accountability. And now, that hope has finally turned into reality. While no amount of time can erase the pain or bring back what we lost, today marks a step toward justice," the family said in a statement.

"To those who have stood by us, supported us, celebrated Red Ribbon Week with us and carried us through the darkest moments — our extended family, friends, and even strangers who have shared in our grief — we are forever grateful," they added.

Sources DOJ, ABC

Categories: kiki camarena, Rafael Caro Quintero, rcq