Rafael Caro Quintero behind bars (archive image): In 1989, the drug lord was sentenced to 40 years in prison.
(with / dpa) Mexican drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero, most wanted by the United States, has been recaptured in Mexico. This was confirmed by the Navy of the North American country of the German Press Agency on Friday (local time). Details about the arrest of Caro Quintero, who in the 1980s, like Pablo Escobar in Colombia, was considered a “narco de narcos” (“drug lord of drug lords”), were initially not available.
In 1985, Caro Quintero ordered the murder of a DEA officer. The co-founder of the former Guadalajara cartel, the first major drug cartel in Mexico, has been on the run since 2013.
At that time he was released after 28 of 40 years in prison for alleged procedural errors. The Mexican Supreme Court overturned this decision, but by then Caro Quintero was already on the run. The State Department in Washington put a $20 million bounty on his head. According to media reports, the drug lord has now been arrested by the Navy in the mountains of northern Mexico. Most recently, he is said to have led the smaller Caborca cartel.
The arrest of what used to be Mexico’s most powerful drug lord comes a few days after an official visit by Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to Washington, where he was received by his American colleague Joe Biden. It could be interpreted as a goodwill gesture by Mexico towards Washington following tensions over security, investment and migration.
14 dead in helicopter crash
Mexican media speculated on Friday evening that Caro Quintero’s arrest was linked to a naval helicopter crash. According to the Navy, there is no evidence of this so far. 14 passengers died in the crash. Another passenger is receiving medical treatment after the accident in the northwestern state of Sinaloa, the Navy said.
The combat helicopter crashed in the village of Los Mochis for reasons that are still unclear. Caro Quintero was arrested in San Simón, 135 kilometers to the north, near Choix.