U.S. offers $5 million reward leading to arrest or conviction of Caro Quintero
The U.S. Department of State is offering a new reward under the Narcotics Reward Program for the arrest and/or conviction of Rafael Caro-Quintero.
The department is offering a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Caro-Quintero, who kidnapped, tortured and murdered U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena in 1985.
Caro-Quintero had served 28 years of a 40-year prison term in Mexico for his crimes when a Mexican court ordered his release on August 9, 2013 on procedural grounds.
Caro-Quintero is a fugitive from the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California on felony murder, felony kidnapping, and a host of other criminal charges.
“We are reminded every day of the ultimate sacrifice paid by DEA Special Agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena and we will vigorously continue our efforts to ensure Rafael Caro-Quintero faces justice for the crimes he committed,” said DEA Administrator Michele M. Leonhart. “Caro-Quintero was the organizer and mastermind of this atrocious act and his unexpected release from a Mexican prison was shocking and disturbing to law enforcement professionals on both sides of the border. The United States Government will utilize every tool available, including the State Department Narcotics Rewards Program, to bring Caro-Quintero to justice.”
The Narcotics Reward Program was established by Congress in 1986 as a tool to assist the U.S. Government in bringing to justice major violators of U.S. narcotics laws responsible for bringing hundreds of tons of illicit drugs into the United States each year. The program gives the Secretary of State statutory authority to offer rewards of up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of named narcotics traffickers.
For more information on Caro-Quintero visit www.dea.gov. For additional information on the Narcotics Reward Program, please see http://www.state.gov/j/inl/narc/rewards/index.htm
