![]() Arranging such a visit wasn’t a problem, even on short notice: The patriarch, retired Gen. With the pandemic still ravaging Mexico, they had come to vacation in Southern California. 15, 2020, they looked excited and maybe a bit relieved. ![]() “I think it’s very realistic to believe the authorities in Jalisco will follow the same procedures to overturn Carrillo’s conviction.When the Cienfuegos family landed at Los Angeles International Airport on Oct. Air Force Office of Special Investigations who now works as a drug war analyst. “Pena Nieto is in a tricky spot,” said Sylvia Longmire, a former agent with the U.S. it seems the government of Pena Nieto has given (judges) full autonomy - which means they have no fear, no anxiety - to resolve cases according to the letter of the law,” Guizar said.Īnalysts said they thought sufficient precedent was set by Caro Quintero’s release to warrant freeing his accomplices - a potential headache for President Enrique Pena Nieto’s dealings with his northern neighbour. “Here in Mexico, for the first time in history. Ironically, the release of Caro Quintero comes as Mexico seeks to overhaul its ragged legal system, which has long been seen as antiquated and lagging international standards. They were the leaders of the Guadalajara cartel, a forerunner of the Sinaloa cartel, which is led by Joaquin “Shorty” Guzman, the country’s most-wanted drug kingpin.Ĭamarena, an undercover DEA agent behind a string of successful drug busts, was killed at the drug bosses’ behest in 1985, triggering the biggest homicide operation in the DEA’s history and damaging U.S.-Mexican relations.Īt the time, the United States was furious about the perceived lacklustre effort to catch Camarena’s killer. The three aging drug lords hold a special place in Mexican narcotics lore. “We remain as committed today in seeing Quintero and others involved in this crime face justice in the United States as we were in the immediate aftermath of Kiki Camarena’s murder and will work closely with the Mexican authorities on this.” “We have seen reports that another individual connected to Camarena’s killing could also be released,” White House spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said, reading a statement. the law is the same for everyone.”įelix Gallardo’s lawyers are widely expected to follow suit, in a case that has worried the White House, which on Sunday said it feared Caro Quintero’s release could result in others involved in Camarena’s killing being freed. “This is the same situation, but even more so, because of (Fonseca Carrillo’s) age and illness. “Rafael shouldn’t have been tried or sentenced at a federal level for that crime,” attorney Jose Luis Guizar said. ![]() court.Ĭaro Quintero’s lawyer also is seeking the release of Ernesto Fonseca Carrillo, who ran the Guadalajara cartel alongside Caro Quintero, and was convicted and imprisoned for planning Camarena’s abduction and murder with fellow Guadalajara drug lord Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo.įonseca Carrillo’s lawyer said he had already presented an appeal for his client’s release, and expected him to be freed in about two weeks. ![]() The decision dealt a painful blow to the DEA, which said it was “deeply troubled” by his early release and would push for him to be tried in a U.S. Mexican drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero is shown behind bars in this undated file photo.Ī Mexican court on Friday cut short Rafael Caro Quintero’s 40-year sentence for orchestrating the killing of Drug Enforcement Administration agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena, ending his 28-year stay behind bars after ruling he should have been tried at a state level rather than on federal charges.
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