Rafael Caro Quintero: Mexico arrests US-wanted drug lord after 14 killed in Black Hawk helicopter crash

Camarena Salazar was kidnapped, tortured and murdered by Mexican authorities in retaliation for a 1984 raid of Caro Quintero’s 2,500-acre marijuana farm, according to the DEA. The events were serialized in the Netflix drama Narcos: Mexico.

According to the FBI, the fugitive returned to drug trafficking as a high-ranking leader of the Sinaloa cartel.

US Attorney General Merrick Garland said Friday the United States would seek Caro Quintero’s immediate extradition to face trial, “even in the Justice System (DEA), Special Agent Camarena died in defense.”

“There is no hiding place for someone who is abducting, torturing and murdering American law enforcement agencies,” Garland said.

In 2018, US authorities announced a $20 million reward for Caro Quintero. He has previously said attempts to arrest him were “misplaced revenge” — “a convenient rewriting of history,” according to the DEA.

Mexico-based DEA agents were working with Mexican authorities to locate and arrest Quintero, DEA Administrator Anne Milgram said in a note to agency staff Friday night.

“For more than 30 years, the men and women of the DEA have worked tirelessly to bring Caro Quintero to justice,” Milgram said. “Today’s arrest is the result of years of blood, sweat and tears. Without your work, Caro Quintero would not be brought to justice.”