Top 10 Facts About Rafael Caro Quintero

Rafael Caro Quintero is a Mexican drug lord who founded the Guadalajara Cartel. He is considered to be one of the first major drug kingpins of the Mexican drug trade. In 2013, he was sentenced to 60 years in prison in the United States for his role in the 1985 murder of DEA agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena.

1. Caro Quintero was born in Sinaloa, Mexico in 1952.

2. He began his criminal career as a member of a ring that stole cars and trucks in Sonora, Mexico.

3. In the 1970s, he moved to Guadalajara and became involved in the marijuana trade.

4. In the early 1980s, he formed the Guadalajara Cartel along with fellow drug lord Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo.

5. The cartel quickly became one of the most powerful criminal organizations in Mexico and was responsible for smuggling large quantities of marijuana and cocaine into the United States.

6. In 1985, DEA agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena was captured and killed by members of the Guadalajara Cartel. Caro Quintero is believed to have ordered the murder.

7. Following Camarena’s death, Caro Quintero’s role in the cartel began to decline and he eventually left Mexico for Costa Rica.

8. In 1989, Caro Quintero was arrested in Costa Rica and extradited to Mexico, where he was sentenced to 40 years in prison.

9. In 2013, he was sentenced to 60 years in prison in the United States for his role in the murder of DEA agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena.

10. Caro Quintero is believed to be responsible for the deaths of hundreds of people, including law enforcement officers and rival drug dealers.