Notorious Mexican drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero has been released after 28 years in prison, multiple U.S. law enforcement sources told CBS News.
Caro Quintero’s release comes after a Mexican court overturned his conviction for the 1985 kidnap and killing of a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent. The brutal murder marked a low point in U.S.-Mexico relations.
The court threw out Caro Quintero’s 40-year sentence for the murder of Enrique Camarena, ruling on Wednesday that he was improperly tried in a federal court for a crime that should have been treated as a state offense.
Read full story at CBSNews.
Late this afternoon the Drug Enforcement Agency released the following statement:
“The Drug Enforcement Administration is deeply troubled to learn of the decision by a Mexican court to release infamous drug trafficker Rafael Caro-Quintero from a Mexican prison. Caro-Quintero had been serving a 40 year prison sentence in connection with the kidnapping, torture and murder of DEA Special Agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena in February 1985. Caro-Quintero was the mastermind and organizer of this atrocious act. We are reminded every day of the ultimate sacrifice paid by Special Agent Camarena and DEA will vigorously continue its efforts to ensure Caro-Quintero faces charges in the United States for the crimes he committed.”
