NEW YORK – After four decades as one of the United States’ most wanted men, Mexican drug cartel boss Rafael Caro Quintero appeared in a New York courtroom Friday to face charges, including masterminding the 1985 murder of a U.S. federal agent. Caro Quintero was among 29 Mexican cartel members extradited to the U.S. last week, according to a statement from The White House, which called him “one of the most evil cartel bosses in the world.”
Caro Quintero is accused of torturing and murdering DEA Agent Kiki Camerena.
“This moment is extremely personal for the men and women of DEA who believe Caro Quintero is responsible for the brutal torture and murder of DEA Special Agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena. It is also a victory for the Camarena family,” said DEA Acting Administrator Derek S. Maltz in a statement.
Caro Quintero, known as the “Narco of Narcos,” was arraigned on a third superseding indictment, which includes charges of leading a continuing criminal enterprise, international drug trafficking, and the unlawful use of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking.
“Today sends a message to every cartel leader, every trafficker, every criminal poisoning our communities: You will be held accountable. No matter how long it takes, no matter how far you run, justice will find you,” said Maltz.
As alleged in the indictment and other public filings, Caro Quintero started his drug empire in the 1960s by cultivating marijuana in Mexico. Over time, he expanded his operations, trafficking heroin, methamphetamine, and cocaine into the U.S. His organization, the Guadalajara Cartel, later became a key part of the Sinaloa Cartel, the world’s largest drug trafficking network.
Alongside Caro Quintero, another infamous cartel leader, Vicente Carrillo Fuentes, was also extradited. Carrillo Fuentes and his late brother, Amado, are accused of running the Juarez Cartel for more than two decades, controlling drug routes along the Texas-Mexico border and distributing massive shipments of cocaine across the U.S.
Initially allied with the Sinaloa Cartel, the Juarez Cartel later split, forming alliances with rival groups like the Zetas. This rift sparked a violent drug war that plunged Mexico into a decade of bloodshed.
Both Caro Quintero and Carrillo Fuentes now face justice in the U.S. after years of evading authorities.