Mexico’s Supreme Court overturns drug lord release

Mexico’s Supreme Court has voted to overturn an appeals court decision to release drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero, and is ordering the court to reconsider the case.

Caro Quintero walked free In August after a federal court overturned his 40-year sentence for the 1985 torture-killing of U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent Enrique Camarena.

The three-judge appeals court annulled Caro Quintero’s sentence on procedural grounds, saying he should have been tried in a state court instead of federal court. However, many jurists argued he should have been retried, not released.

A panel of five Supreme Court justices voted 4-1 to overturn the release, technically making Caro Quintero a fugitive.

The U.S. State Department is offering a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to his arrest and conviction.