Infamous drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero, whose character was featured on Narcos: Mexico, set up a new cartel as soon as he was released from prison in 2013, it has been reported.
The crime boss walked free on a technicality when a court overturned his 40-year sentence for the 1985 kidnapping and killing of US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent Enrique 'Kiki' Camarena.
After serving 28 years, Caro Quintero previously claimed he was no longer involved in the country’s criminal underworld in a 2016 interview with a Mexican reporter.
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However, those claims have now been refuted by Texas-based security consultant and expert on Mexican cartels Robert Almonte, with him telling The New York Post: “He’s lying. He never left the drug business.”
In fact, Almonte alleged that Caro Quintero was involved in direct drug trafficking from his Mexican prison cell and started a new cartel as soon as he was released in 2013.
Mexican intelligence leaked to the media reported that he was working with the Juarez Cartel to take over drug trafficking in parts of Sonora state that had been dominated by the Sinaloa Cartel.
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Earlier this month, UNILAD reported how the 69-year-old had been arrested by authorities.
Caro Quintero - one of the main suppliers of heroin, cocaine and marijuana to the US in the late 1970s - was arrested on 15 July after a search dog named Max found him hiding in brush in the town of San Simon in Sinaloa state.
The drug boss was on the FBI's most wanted list, with a $20 million (£16.9 million) reward offered for his capture.
Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement: "There is no hiding place for anyone who kidnaps, tortures, and murders American law enforcement.
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"Today's arrest is the culmination of tireless work by DEA and their Mexican partners to bring Caro Quintero to justice for his alleged crimes, including the torture and execution of DEA Special Agent Enrique 'Kiki' Camarena.
"We will be seeking his immediate extradition to the United States so he can be tried for these crimes in the very justice system Special Agent Camarena died defending."
White House senior Latin America adviser Juan Gonzalez also wrote on Twitter: "This is huge."
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After initially walking free back in 2013, the former leader of the Guadalajara cartel returned to drug trafficking and unleashed bloody turf battles in the northern Mexico border state of Sonora.
Back then, an appeals court overturned Caro Quintero’s verdict but the Supreme Court upheld the sentence.
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Lisa McLoughlin