Caro Quintero, known as the “drug kingpin,” is considered by Mexican authorities to be the founder of the Guadalajara cartel. He is accused of trafficking methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine and marijuana. The Mexican Navy Black Hawk helicopter crashed in Los Mochis, Sinaloa after the operation to capture him, according to the statement. Another Marine was injured and remains in hospital. The cause of the crash was unknown and an investigation will be conducted, the statement added. Caro Quintero, whose exact age is unknown but is believed to be in his 60s, is wanted by US authorities for the alleged kidnapping and conspiracy to kill Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) special agent Enrique Camarena Salazar in 1985. Camarena Salazar was kidnapped, tortured and murdered in retaliation for a 1984 raid on Caro Quintero’s 2,500-acre marijuana farm by Mexican authorities, according to the DEA. The events were serialized in the Netflix drama “Narcos: Mexico.” Caro Quintero spent 28 years in prison in Mexico for his role in the killing before being released on a technicality in 2013. Mexico’s Supreme Court later overturned the decision that freed him. The fugitive returned to drug trafficking as a senior leader of the Sinaloa cartel, according to the FBI. US Attorney General Merrick Garland said Friday that the United States will seek the immediate extradition of Caro Quintero to face trial “in the very justice system (DEA) Special Agent Camarena died defending.” “There is no hiding place for anyone who kidnaps, tortures and murders American law enforcement,” Garland said. In 2018, US authorities announced a $20 million reward for Caro Quintero. He previously said the attempts to arrest him were “misguided revenge” — “conveniently rewriting history,” according to the DEA. DEA agents based in Mexico worked with Mexican authorities to locate and arrest Quintero, DEA Administrator Anne Milgram said in a memo to the agency’s workforce Friday night. “For more than 30 years, the men and women of the DEA worked tirelessly to bring Caro Quintero to justice,” Milgram said. “Today’s arrest is the result of years of your blood, sweat and tears. Without your work, Caro Quintero would not have faced justice.” Additional reporting by CNN’s Josh Campbell.
