NBC New York
After years as one of U.S. authorities’ most wanted men, Mexican drug cartel boss Rafael Caro Quintero was brought into a New York courtroom Friday to answer charges that include orchestrating the 1985 killing of a U.S. federal agent.
The White House called Caro Quintero “one of the most evil cartel bosses in the world” in a statement before his arraignment, where more than 100 Drug Enforcement Administration agents and other federal officials filled a large ceremonial courtroom.
Dressed in an orange prison jumpsuit, the 72-year-old Caro Quintero spoke little during the brief proceeding as his lawyer entered a not guilty plea on his behalf.
Another cartel leader, Vicente Carrillo Fuentes, 62, also pleaded not guilty through an attorney. He’s accused of arranging kidnappings and killings in Mexico but not accused of involvement in the death of DEA agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena, whose killing was dramatized in the Netflix series “Narcos: Mexico.”
Prosecutors say Caro Quintero blamed Camarena for a raid on a huge marijuana plantation and had the agent kidnapped, tortured and killed as revenge.
“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,” Camarena’s family said Friday in a statement thanking President Donald Trump and everyone who worked on the case.
Caro Quintero, Carrillo Fuentes and 27 other Mexican prisoners were sent Thursday to eight U.S. cities. The move came as Mexico sought to stave off the Trump administration’s threat of imposing 25% tariffs on all Mexican imports next week. In exchange for delaying tariffs, Trump had insisted that Mexico crack down on cartels, illegal immigration and fentanyl production.
