Rafael Caro Quintero
Encyclopedia
Rafael Caro Quintero is an incarcerated Mexican
drug lord
born in La Noria, Badiraguato
, Sinaloa
. Quintero was a co-founder, with Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo
, of the Guadalajara Cartel
and Sonora Cartel
. Upon of the cartels' disintegration, its leaders were incorporated mostly into the Tijuana Cartel
and Sinaloa Cartel
. His uncle Juan Jose Quintero Payan used to be one the Juarez Cartel
drug lords.
Rafael was wanted by the U.S. government for kidnapping and murder of a federal agent, violent crimes in aid of racketeering, possession with intent to distribute marijuana and cocaine
, murder
, continuing criminal enterprise.
, Sinaloa
. His father was a poor peasant. He left when he was 17 to find work in the state capital, Culiacán
, where he briefly worked as a truck driver.
. Together, they bought farms and turned them into huge marijuana cultivation
centers. He learned from Pedro Avilés Pérez
, Mexico's most important drug lord at the time. Before long, Caro began to work on his own, together with his partner, Ernesto Fonseca Carrillo
"Don Neto", and Juan José Esparragoza Moreno
.
He sent out monthly bribes to police commanders in the Mexican states of Sinaloa
and Chihuahua so the government wouldn't interfere with his operations. He had major operations in the states of Zacatecas
, Chihuahua, Sinaloa
, San Luis Potosí
and Durango
. He was a close associate to Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo
, Mexico's cocaine
czar, and soon the three of them, Caro, Fonseca and Gallardo formed the Guadalajara cartel.
with his associates and his girlfriend Sara Cosio. After being intercepted by the Commander of the Mexican Federal Police in charge of the Camarena investigation, Armando Pavón Reyes, Pavón allowed Caro to flee, allowing him refuge in Costa Rica
.
On April 4, 1985, Caro was arrested in Costa Rica extradited
to Mexico City
for his role in the Camarena murder. On April 8, 1985, Fonseca Carrillo was arrested in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco. He was sentenced to 40 years for drug trafficking and for the murder of Camarena and Zavala. It was estimated that Caro Quintero's wealth surpassed $900 million U.S. at the time of his capture.
Mexican people
Mexican people refers to all persons from Mexico, a multiethnic country in North America, and/or who identify with the Mexican cultural and/or national identity....
drug lord
Drug lord
A drug lord, drug baron or kingpin is the term used to describe a person who controls a sizable network of persons involved in the illegal drugs trade. Such figures are often difficult to bring to justice, as they might never be directly in possession of something illegal, but are insulated from...
born in La Noria, Badiraguato
Badiraguato
Badiraguato - small city and its surrounding municipality in the Mexican state of Sinaloa. It stands at .The city reported 3,562 and the municipality 37,757 inhabitants in the year 2005 census....
, Sinaloa
Sinaloa
Sinaloa officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sinaloa is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 18 municipalities and its capital city is Culiacán Rosales....
. Quintero was a co-founder, with Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo
Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo
Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo is a convicted Mexican drug lord known as "El Padrino" who in the 1980s formed the Guadalajara Cartel and became the first drug czar in Mexico to control all illegal drug traffic in Mexico and the corridors along the Mexico-U.S.A...
, of the Guadalajara Cartel
Guadalajara Cartel
The Guadalajara Cartel was a Mexican drug cartel which was formed in the 1980s by Rafael Caro Quintero, Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo and Ernesto Fonseca Carrillo in order to ship heroin and marijuana to the United States...
and Sonora Cartel
Sonora Cartel
The Sonora Cartel, also called the Caro-Quintero Organization, was a Mexico based criminal cartel. Upon of the cartel's disintegration, its leaders were incorporated into the Tijuana Cartel and Sinaloa Cartel....
. Upon of the cartels' disintegration, its leaders were incorporated mostly into the Tijuana Cartel
Tijuana Cartel
The Tijuana Cartel is a Mexican drug cartel based in Tijuana. The cartel has been described as "one of the biggest and most violent criminal groups in Mexico"...
and Sinaloa Cartel
Sinaloa Cartel
The Sinaloa Cartel is the most powerful drug cartel in Mexico and considered by the United States Intelligence Community as "the most powerful drug trafficking organization in the world." The Sinaloa Cartel is based in the city of Culiacán, Sinaloa, but also operates in the Mexican states of Baja...
. His uncle Juan Jose Quintero Payan used to be one the Juarez Cartel
Juárez Cartel
The Juárez Cartel , also known as the Vicente Carrillo Fuentes Organization, is a Mexican drug cartel based in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico, across the border from El Paso, Texas...
drug lords.
Rafael was wanted by the U.S. government for kidnapping and murder of a federal agent, violent crimes in aid of racketeering, possession with intent to distribute marijuana and cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
, murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
, continuing criminal enterprise.
Early life
Rafael Caro Quintero is the oldest of four brothers and two sisters. Born in the village of La Noria, in the municipality of BadiraguatoBadiraguato
Badiraguato - small city and its surrounding municipality in the Mexican state of Sinaloa. It stands at .The city reported 3,562 and the municipality 37,757 inhabitants in the year 2005 census....
, Sinaloa
Sinaloa
Sinaloa officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sinaloa is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 18 municipalities and its capital city is Culiacán Rosales....
. His father was a poor peasant. He left when he was 17 to find work in the state capital, Culiacán
Culiacán
Culiacán is a city in northwestern Mexico, the largest city in the state of Sinaloa as well as its capital and capital of the municipality of Culiacán. With 675,773 inhabitants in the city , and 858,638 in the municipality, it is the largest city in the state of Sinaloa...
, where he briefly worked as a truck driver.
Criminal career
Not lasting long at that job, he started to plant small plots of marijuana in small fields located in Chihuahua and mainly in Caborca, Sonora, with his brothers Jorge Luis and Miguel AngelMiguel Caro Quintero
Miguel Angel Caro Quintero was born in La Noria, Badiraguato Sinaloa, Mexico, in 1963. Caro Quintero is believed to have been one of the leaders of the now extinct Sonora Cartel.-Sonora Cartel:...
. Together, they bought farms and turned them into huge marijuana cultivation
Cannabis (drug) cultivation
This article presents common techniques and facts regarding the cultivation of the flowering plant cannabis, primarily for the production and consumption of marijuana buds. Cultivation techniques for other purposes differ...
centers. He learned from Pedro Avilés Pérez
Pedro Avilés Pérez
Pedro Avilés Pérez was a pioneer drug lord in the Mexican state of Sinaloa in the late 1960s. He is considered to be the first generation of major Mexican drug smugglers of marijuana. He also pioneered the use of aircraft to smuggle drugs to the United States...
, Mexico's most important drug lord at the time. Before long, Caro began to work on his own, together with his partner, Ernesto Fonseca Carrillo
Ernesto Fonseca Carrillo
Ernesto Fonseca Carrillo is a former Mexican narcotics trafficker, operating as leader of the Guadalajara Cartel alongside Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo and Rafael Caro Quintero...
"Don Neto", and Juan José Esparragoza Moreno
Juan José Esparragoza Moreno
Juan José Esparragoza Moreno a.k.a: El Azul , is a former Mexican Federal Judicial Police officer turned drug trafficker. Esparragoza was born in Huichiopa, in the Mexican state of Sinaloa...
.
He sent out monthly bribes to police commanders in the Mexican states of Sinaloa
Sinaloa
Sinaloa officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sinaloa is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 18 municipalities and its capital city is Culiacán Rosales....
and Chihuahua so the government wouldn't interfere with his operations. He had major operations in the states of Zacatecas
Zacatecas
Zacatecas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Zacatecas is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 58 municipalities and its capital city is Zacatecas....
, Chihuahua, Sinaloa
Sinaloa
Sinaloa officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sinaloa is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 18 municipalities and its capital city is Culiacán Rosales....
, San Luis Potosí
San Luis Potosí
San Luis Potosí officially Estado Libre y Soberano de San Luis Potosí is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 58 municipalities and its capital city is San Luis Potosí....
and Durango
Durango
Durango officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Durango is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is located in Northwest Mexico. With a population of 1,632,934, it has Mexico's second-lowest population density, after Baja...
. He was a close associate to Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo
Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo
Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo is a convicted Mexican drug lord known as "El Padrino" who in the 1980s formed the Guadalajara Cartel and became the first drug czar in Mexico to control all illegal drug traffic in Mexico and the corridors along the Mexico-U.S.A...
, Mexico's cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
czar, and soon the three of them, Caro, Fonseca and Gallardo formed the Guadalajara cartel.
Camarena's death
In November 1984, the Mexican Federal Police raided his property at El Búfalo, Chihuahua, and burned more than 10,000 tons of marijuana, the seizure costing the Rafael Quintero US $160 million. All this was thanks to extensive investigations by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) in Guadalajara, Jalisco and in particular, Special Agent Enrique Camarena Salazar. In retribution, Camarena and his pilot Alfredo Zavala were kidnapped in Guadalajara on February 7, 1985 and were brutally tortured and murdered. On February 9, 1985, Caro fled GuadalajaraGuadalajara, Jalisco
Guadalajara is the capital of the Mexican state of Jalisco, and the seat of the municipality of Guadalajara. The city is located in the central region of Jalisco in the western-pacific area of Mexico. With a population of 1,564,514 it is Mexico's second most populous municipality...
with his associates and his girlfriend Sara Cosio. After being intercepted by the Commander of the Mexican Federal Police in charge of the Camarena investigation, Armando Pavón Reyes, Pavón allowed Caro to flee, allowing him refuge in Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
.
On April 4, 1985, Caro was arrested in Costa Rica extradited
Extradition
Extradition is the official process whereby one nation or state surrenders a suspected or convicted criminal to another nation or state. Between nation states, extradition is regulated by treaties...
to Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
for his role in the Camarena murder. On April 8, 1985, Fonseca Carrillo was arrested in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco. He was sentenced to 40 years for drug trafficking and for the murder of Camarena and Zavala. It was estimated that Caro Quintero's wealth surpassed $900 million U.S. at the time of his capture.