Who was Enrique “Kiki” Camarena?

• Who was Enrique Camarena?
• Why was his involvement with the DEA essential?
• After the arrest of Caro Quintero, the agent’s murder resurfaces.

On Friday, July 15, the Mexican authorities reported the arrest of Rafael Caro Quintero, also known as «El Príncipe» or «Narco de narcos». The Mexican capo was the leader of the now-extinct Guadalajara Cartel, along with Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo, «El Jefe de Jefes».

In the 1980s, DEA authorities set their eyes on both drug traffickers due to the transport of marijuana to the United States, so they began looking for information that would lead them to those responsible for increased sale and consumption of that drug in the US. It was then that Enrique «Kiki» Camarena made his appearance.

WHO WAS KIKI CAMARENA?

The name Enrique «Kiki» Camarena will always be linked to the history of the arrest of Rafael Caro Quintero, who was named the «prince» of drug trafficking from 1970-1980. Therefore, to understand why the United States wants the extradition of the Mexican drug lord, one must remember the involvement of the famous DEA agent, who helped uncover the drug empire he was creating.

The Mexican-American agent was working in Mexico when the DEA asked him to conduct an exhaustive investigation into the rising «businessman» that Rafael Caro Quintero was becoming. The story of Kiki Camarena got complicated when he began to investigate marijuana and cocaine trafficking in Guadalajara, Jalisco, UNO TV indicated.

The story of the DEA star

Enrique Camarena was born on July 26, 1947 in Mexicali, Mexico, UNO TV said. Being close to the border with the United States, he had the opportunity to study in the neighboring country. He graduated in 1966 from the Calexico High School in Calexico, California.

Later, Camarena entered the prestigious United States Marine Corps. He spent two years on the job and then continued his career as a firefighter, police officer and later Deputy Sheriff in Imperial County. It was not until 1970 that he decided to join the DEA as a special agent, UNO TV noted.

What was Camarena doing?

Agent Camarena began working to unblock a drug channel between 1982 and 1984, when he discovered the organization that was managed by the «Narco de narcos» in Guadalajara. At that time, it is believed that Rafael Caro Quintero and the Guadalajara Cartel were engaged in the production, shipment and distribution of marijuana in Mexico and the United States.

“From 1982 to 1984, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) special agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena investigated the drug trafficking organization of Caro-Quintero and others in Mexico,” the US State Department said in the statement that was created for the criminal history of Rafael Caro Quintero.

A blow to Caro Quintero?

The DEA, with the work carried out by Enrique Camarena, managed to seize tons of merchandise belonging to the Guadalajara Cartel, which annoyed Caro Quintero. At that time, the Mexican capo had already noticed the movements of the DEA and the Mexican authorities, so he made one of his first mistakes.

«The DEA investigation led to drug seizures that seriously damaged the organization,» reported the US State Department in Rafael Caro Quintero’s file. At that time, Camarena and other agents were in danger because Caro Quintero already knew about the identities of the agents assigned to the case. Filed Under: Who was Enrique Camarena

Did the reprisals begin?

After the million-dollar drug seizure that damaged the Guadalajara Cartel, Caro Quintero began retaliation against the DEA. In 1985, the Mexican drug lord ordered the assassination of two US citizens whom he mistook for DEA agents.

“Beginning in 1984, members of the Caro-Quintero organization allegedly participated in a series of actions to retaliate against the DEA, and in 1985, Caro-Quintero and others allegedly murdered John Clay Walker and Alberto Radelat, United States citizens who he thought were members of the DEA,” they reported. Filed Under: Who was Enrique Camarena

Did it cost him his life?

But, without a doubt, a harsh blow was dealt to the DEA when he ordered the kidnapping of Agent Camarena and Alfredo Zavala. Both men were tortured and killed. Without a doubt, nobody expected the murder of one of the best special agents for the DEA. US authorities are still waiting for the extradition of Caro Quintero so that he pays for the death of the four men, especially that of Camarena.

«Later, in 1985, Caro-Quintero and others allegedly kidnapped, tortured, and murdered Agent Camarena and Alfredo Zavala Avelar, a pilot assisting Special Agent Camarena,» the DEA reported. Upon finding the bodies of the agents, the authorities began an exhaustive search to find the whereabouts of the Mexican capo who was hiding in Costa Rica.

What is Caro Quintero being charged with now?

Although Caro Quintero spent 27 years in prison for the death of the DEA agent, he was released in 2013 by the Mexican authorities and quickly fled when he learned that he had an arrest warrant for Camarena’s murder. In subsequent years, the DEA offered a $20 million reward for information on his location.

“Caro-Quintero was indicted in the United States Central District of California with violations of kidnapping and murder of a federal agent, conspiracy to kidnap a federal agent, violent crimes in aid of racketeering, conspiracy to commit violent crimes in aid of racketeering, aiding and abetting, accessory after the fact, possession with intent to distribute marijuana and cocaine, and continuing criminal enterprise» states Caro Quintero’s file.