Agent Camarena, 37, a father of three children, was murdered in 1985 by drug cartel members in Guadalajara, Mexico. Mika Camarena is pictured meeting Ronald Reagan at the White House shortly after her husband's death. 1. Due to the difficulty ofextraditingMexican citizens, the DEA went as far as to detain two suspects,Humberto lvarez Machan, the physician who allegedly prolonged Camarenas life so the torture could continue, and Javier Vsquez Velasco; both were taken bybounty huntersinto the United States. I wanted to find out what made the guy tick, and I did a lot of research and thank God I spoke with Mika (Camarenas wife), he told Newsweek. Female wrestler, 16, makes history becoming the first girl Isabel Oakeshott receives 'menacing' message from Matt Hancock, Two Russian tanks annihilated with bombs by Ukrainian armed forces, Pavement where disabled woman gestured at cyclist before fatal crash, Pro-Ukrainian drone lands on Russian spy planes exposing location, 'Buster is next!' The doctors thought that a foreign object, possibly a . Ive been reading a lot about Mexican gangs/ cartels recently and their sheer brutality and total disregard for the sanctity of human life has left me sickened and appalled in equal measures. U.S.officials turned to some cartel associates to helpillegallyarm and equip rebelsbattlingthe Sandinista government in Nicaragua in what came to be known as the Iran-contra affair. The highly publicized abduction and murder in 1985 was one of the darkest moments in U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration history and provided the plot for the Netflix series "Narcos: Mexico." Trump and US face logistical nightmare if he follows through with threats. Death squads being trained at Caro Quintero's ranch in Mexico. He left the FBI in 1999 but remained on contract for more than a decade doing background investigations. Sara Coso was born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, the daughter of Secretary of Education Octavio Csar Coso Vidaurri and the niece of Governor Guillermo Coso Vidaurri. (You can see photos of the real people behind the Narcos: Mexico characters here.) More than three decades after the incident, U.S. authorities are investigating potentially explosive new evidence in the case: allegations that Camarena was betrayed. ga('ads.send', { lvarez subsequently initiated acivil suitagainst the U.S. government, charging that his arrest had breached the U.S.Mexico extradition treaty. Born in 1947, Camarena moved from Mexico to the United States of America but continued to visit his grandmother in Guadalajara. Before Camarena's death, DEA units in . [, Mexican police had destroyed evidence on Camarenas body. eventAction: 'render' He attended high school in Calexico (a portmanteau of California and Mexico) where he met high school sweetheart and future wife, Geneva 'Mika' Camarena. Now, his murder is being investigated. He also was an adjunct professor at the University of Dallas, where he taught law and economics. }); Three of the witnesses former Mexican police officers Ramon Lira, Rene Lopez and George Godoy, who had worked as security guards for cartel kingpins spoke with USA TODAY and recounted that they told investigators a DEA official and a CIA operative were present at meetings where Camarenas abduction was discussed. The altered state of the various crime scenes from which evidence was recovered, however, initially complicated the integrity of the investigation. Killing Rage The life and death of EamonCollins. The Mexican drug lord whose role in ordering the kidnapping and murder of a US drugs enforcement agent in 1985 was featured in Netflix drama Narcos: Mexico has been captured by law enforcement.. Rafael Caro Quintero, a notorious co-founder of the brutal Guadalajara Cartel, was behind the torture and murder of 37-year-old DEA agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena. In 1986, American investigators came into possession of the tape that captured the torture of Camarena (via The Washington Post). Quintero spent the last 28 years locked up for the 1985 kidnapping and killing of American DEA agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena. Camarena's disappearance made worldwide headlines in February 1985, and sparked fury from the Reagan Administration, who effectively shut down the southern border in a bid to pressure the Mexican government to catch the culprits. Two former U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents and a former U.S. Central Intelligence Agency contract pilot are claiming that the Reagan Administration was complicit in the 1985 murder of DEA agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena at the hands of Mexican drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero. Criminal cases seldom improve with age as both memories and evidence fade, and the investigation of Camarenas murder has produced reams of conflicting evidence that would make any new prosecution especially challenging. A spokeswoman for the DEA, Mary Brandenberger, said she could not comment on ongoing investigations. Hes been in custody since 1989, however. The book shows what goes on behind the scenes of the drug war in Mexico and the U.S. Kiki Camarena was born Enrique (Kiki) S. Camarena on July 26, 1947, in Mexicali, Mexico. document.querySelector("#google_image_div").addEventListener('click',function(){ In 1987, Mr. Hornberger left the practice of law to become director of programs at the Foundation for Economic Education. Enrique " Kiki " Camarena Salazar (July 26, 1947 - February 9, 1985) was an American intelligence officer for the United States (DEA). They claimed the DEA official accepted money from the cartel. A spokesman for the CIA declined to comment. Whats the true story? Moreover, the Enrique S. Camarena Foundation is committed to the prevention of drug use, trafficking, and violence. In the 1990s, Mattas lawyers tried to force the government to turn over information about the CIAs alleged involvement. Anyone can figure out that that sort of thing is just going to get the U.S. government even more determined to come after you. And revealing as well! The book alleges that DEA officers investigating Camarenas death knew that the drug agents murder was a joint operation between the drug cartel and the DFS, an agency with intimate ties to the CIA., Kuykendall said, The CIA didnt give a damn about anything but Cuba and the Soiets. Despite vigorous protests from the Mexican government, lvarez was brought to trial inLos Angelesin 1992. ga('ads.send', { Camarena is pictured left. He was likely injected with drugs to ensure he remained conscious throughout the ordeal. (Dec. 4). It was not the first time someone claimed U.S. intelligence was entangled with the cartel responsible for Camarenas death. The opening scene and new credit sequence reveal that Kiki gets abducted by the boss of the Guadalajara cartel, Felix Gallardo (played by Diego Luna). Camarenas body was found in a rural area outside the small town ofLa Angostura, in the state of Michoacn, on March 5, 1985. View these interviews at Times Staff Writer. Murdaugh is heckled as he leaves court, Ukrainian soldier takes out five tanks with Javelin missiles, Ken Bruce finishes his 30-year tenure as host of BBC Radio 2, Missing hiker buried under snow forces arm out to wave to helicopter, Family of a 10-month-old baby filmed vaping open up, Insane moment river of rocks falls onto Malibu Canyon in CA, Fleet-footed cop chases an offender riding a scooter, Moment teenager crashes into back of lorry after 100mph police race. Camarena, 37, who was known by the nickname "Kiki," served in the U.S. Marine Corps before moving into law enforcement and becoming a DEA agent in 1975. ga('ads.send', { Actor Michael Pena, who played Kiki in Narcos, researched the role of Kiki Camarena for Narcos: Mexico in part by speaking with the agents widow. To get the message across loud and clear, President Ronald Reagan even completely shut down the U.S.-Mexico border, causing an unbelievable backlog of traffic on the Mexican side of the border. Actor Diego Luna: "We are still living the consequences" of real-life story told in drug war series "Narcos: Mexico." Powered by. In late 2018, federal prosecutors decided not to retry the men. The men, who worked for one of Mexicos most powerful drug cartels,forced Camarena intotheir car and drove himto a cramped guest house nearby, where he was beaten, burned and eventually killed. On March 5, his body was found in a field in a town more than 50 miles from where he was taken, reported The New York Times. window.googletag.cmd.push(function() { Roberto Savianos non-fiction bookZero Zero Zero(2015) deals in part with Camarenas undercover work and his eventual fate. Wrapped in plastic, his ribs were broken, skull crushed and a hole drilled into his head. He was also found guilty of killing Alfredo Zavala Avelar, a Mexican pilot who was employed by the DEA By Adry . After his military service, he moved back to his hometown of Calexico, California to work as a fireman and then became a police officer in the Calexico Police Department. By then, prosecutors and agents had begun interviewing witnesses again, including the three former Mexican police officers who had worked as drivers and security guards for some of the Guadalajara Cartels leaders. Camarena's captors beat and burned him, before using a power tool to drill into his skull. In the early afternoon hours of February 7, 1985, Camarena was leaving his post based in the U.S. Consulate office in Guadalajara to meet with his wife. Trial opens . The cartel enforcers took Camarena to a house on a street called Lope de Vega, where witnesses said they put him on a bed in a guest house at the rear of the property and interrogated him about raids on the cartels supplies and the informants who helped lead agents to the drugs. The case eventually reached theU.S. Supreme Court, which ruled that lvarez was not entitled to relief. In 2017, a Mexican court sentenced him to 37 years in prison for Camarena's death. Set in the 1980s, the plot revolves around how an undercover agent for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Enrique S "Kiki" Camarena Salazar . He had called at 1.30pm from his office at the American Consulate in Guadalajara . Camarena first joined theDEA, at theirCalexico, Californiaoffice. The Death of Kiki Camarena, a Martyr of the International Drug War. When Mexican soldiers destroyed the plantation based on information from Camarena, he was. In 1985, Camarena was kidnapped, brutally tortured, and then executed. Today, Fonseca is on house arrest, and Caro Quintera was released from prison in 2013 on a legal technicality and is being sought by the U.S. Camarenas death changed the face of Mexican drug cartels. It would be the last time Camarena was seen alive. In October 2013, two former federal agents and a self-proclaimed ex-CIAcontractor told an American television network that CIA operatives were involved in Camarenas kidnapping and murder, because he was a threat to the agencys drug operations in Mexico. Enrique S "Kiki" Camarena Salazar was a real American undercover agent for the DEA, up until he died aged just 37 in February 1985. Video footage from the KXAS-TV/NBC station in Fort Worth, Texas, to accompany a news story about the arrest of Dr. Humberto lvarez-Machan in Los Angeles for the murder and kidnapping of DEA agent Enrique S. "Kiki" Camarena Salazar. Traces of drugs were also found in his body. Camarena was tortured at Gallardos ranch over a 30-hour period, then murdered. Enrique Camarena (July 26, 1947 - February 9, . Prosecutors shared summaries of those interviews with lawyers representing Verdugo and Matta. Mika Camarena, whose given name is Geneva Camarena, was high school sweethearts with Kiki. Before Camarenas death, DEA units in Mexico destroyedmillions of dollars worth of marijuana grown on farms for the Guadalajara Cartel, named for the city in Jalisco, a state in western Mexico. President Richard Nixon created the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in 1973 in his crusade against drug trafficking and other drug-related offenses. }); He stated that all three of the men are said to 'have witnessed CIA operatives working alongside cartel members.'. Rafael Caro Quintero's role in the the 1985 kidnapping and killing of U.S. DEA agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena was a low point in U.S.-Mexico relations. And sure enough, thats what happened. A few of the men charged in the case remain fugitives. The CIA has denied the allegations. According to El Pais, Camarenas skull, jaw, nose and cheekbones were crushed with a tire iron. Teams of federal agents descended on Guadalajara, and more worked the case from the USA. His full name was Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo, and, in real life, he was a brutal and clever man called El Padrino AKA The Godfather. This story aired at 10 PM. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), He was interrogated under torture and murdered. The interrogation was directed at finding out what information Camarena had about the cartel. According to The San Diego Union-Tribune newspaper, after his death, she formed the Enrique S. Camarena Foundation in 2004 with the help of retired DEA agents and her oldest son, Enrique, a deputy district attorney working in the South Bay. And thats what Ive been doing up until yesterday. Camarena, the Mexican-born agent and father of three, was 37 years old. The Netflix series details the background of the case and how this horrendous crime unfolded. U.S. agents working in Mexico reported being tailed by cartel operatives, and one agents car was shot up by machine gun fire outside his house. The names of any particular CIA or DEA Agents who allegedly conspired in Camarena's death have not been disclosed. A man convicted in the 1985 kidnapping, torture and killing of U.S. DEA Special Agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena Salazar was deported after serving three decades in prison, officials said Friday . In 2004, the Enrique S. Camarena Foundation was established in Camarenas memory. He was about to expose the operation when he was kidnapped on February 7 while he went to have lunch with his wife, Mika. Was he really abducted? pg.acq.push(function() { "I would look at the case of Kiki Camarena. RELATED: Ranked: Top 10 Most Dangerous Characters On Narcos Berrellez, the former DEA agent who ran the task force investigating his murder, has said for years that the CIA was involved. Camarena, who had been identified as the source of the leak, was abducted in broad daylight on February 8, 1985, by corrupt police officers working fordrug lordMiguel ngel Flix Gallardo. Camarena was kidnapped and killed during a harrowing time in efforts to stop drugs from pouring across the U.S. southern border. In the latest installment of the Netflix drug drama, Camarena ( Michael Pena) moves his family to Mexico for a post in the DEA's Guadalajara office in 1981. Enrique S. Kiki Camarena Salazar(July 26, 1947 February 9, 1985) was a Mexican-born American undercover agent for theUnited StatesDrug Enforcement Administration(DEA) who was abducted on February 7, 1985, and then tortured and murdered, while on assignment inMexico. He was a trial attorney for twelve years in Texas. Prosecutors in Los Angeles brought a series of criminal cases accusing cartel operatives of taking part in Camarenas kidnapping and murder. }); hitType: 'event', He spent four years in Mexico tracking the countrys drug dealers (the drugs of choice were marijuana and cocaine back then.). hitType: 'event', Taken at Gallardo ranch, he was tortured for 30 hours before being brutally murdered. Hundreds of club members including Calexico High School teacher David Dhillon wore red ribbons and pledged to lead drug-free lives to honor the sacrifices made by Kiki Camarena and . Several books have been written on the subject. Carlos Somonte/Netflix. Authorities arrested and questioned Ezequiel Godinez-Cervantes, who was among the men indicted in Camarenas murder in 1987, but prosecutors dropped the charges after he was convicted of drug trafficking in Texas. Enrique "Kiki" Camarena Salazar (26 Juli 1947 - 9 Februari 1985) merupakan seorang agen DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) Amerika Serikat keturunan Meksiko yang menjadi korban pembunuhan oleh kartel narkoba Guadalajara pada 1985. 'Very open to the idea': Julia Wandelt takes DNA test to verify if she is missing Swiss girl Livia Schepp, Kayla Lemieux: Teacher with prosthetic Z-cup breasts suspended WITH PAY after pics show her dressed as man, 'We have lots to reveal': Madeleine McCann lookalike Julia Wandelt posts footage of meeting with PI probing claims, Lindsay Clancy case: Psychologist reveals psychosis red flags family members could have spotted, Alex Murdaugh's son Buster 'collapsed' outside court after dad was convicted of double murder. pg.acq.push(function() { His body was found dumped on the outskirts of La Angostura. We need to make justice. He saw the possibility and the signs of an empire being builtthis narcotics empireand he wanted to put an end to it because he saw what it could possibly become.. MEAWW is an initialism for Media Entertainment Arts WorldWide. window.googletag.pubads().addEventListener('impressionViewable', function(event) { At the time of Camarenas death, Matta ran a fleet of airplanes that U.S. investigators said supplied Nicaraguan rebels and smuggled drugs. Gallardo, known as 'The Godfather', remains behind bars for his role in the murder. The Netflix series Narcos: Mexico centers around a Mexican drug cartels murder and torture of Kiki Camarena, a federal narcotics agent for the United States. Samuel Ramirez held him at gunpoint and told him not to resist and they took him to a large house at 881, Lope De Vega, where Kiki was blindfolded and tortured practically into a coma. The bodies were found wrapped in plastic, riddled with bullets, with blunt head injuries. One telling scene seamlessly transitions . Everyone knows that when you kill a cop or a judge, the entire wrath of the state is going to come crashing down on you. In order to maintain control and enforce these anti-drugs laws, a new federal agency was born. Also found was the body of his pilot, Zavala Avelar. Kehidupan awal. Meanwhile,Camarena's case recently received renewed interest after it became the center of the new Netflix series Narcos: Mexico, with Michael Pena playing the lead role. Camarena was married to Mika and they had three sons.[. There is too many ghosts behind me. He was born and raised in Laredo, Texas, and received his B.A. He is telling the story of his father,DEA agent Enrique Camarena and story of #RedRibbonWeek #inspiringyoungminds Thanks for your fathers and your service to our communities .#msasdonaroll pic.twitter.com/2rAEDOOVgM, Principal Serce (@mr_serce) October 23, 2018, He told NBC San Diego of his dad, You know, I think about him every day. Two associates,Ernesto 'Don Neto' Fonseca and Rafael Caro Quintero, were also convicted. In the spin-off seriesNarcos: Mexico, Camarena is played by American actorMichael Pea. Its now showing on Amazon Prime. A federal court rejected the request, saying there was no evidence tying the government to the smuggling ring. Camarena served in the Marines for two years, was a firefighter and police officer and deputy sheriff in California, and then joined the DEA in 1974. Camarena received many awards and is considered an American hero. Fonseca, who was convicted in the 1985 kidnapping, torture and murder of DEA agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena . Why kidnap and torture him also? The three men's testimonies have been described as 'incredible' by a lawyer working for the recently releasedVerdugo. According to a report published Thursday in USA Today, 'US Justice Department agents and prosecutors have obtained statements from the witnesses implicating a Central Intelligence Agency operative and a DEA official in the plotto torture and murder Camarena'. Along with pilot Freddy Zavala, Kiki is interrogated, tortured, and ultimately executed. This is the story of Camarena, the drug cartel he infiltrated, and the narc who . Special Agent Enrique Camarena worked with the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) from 1974 through his abduction and murder in 1985 (Drug Enforcement Agency, n.d.). But after Berrellez figured out what was really going on, he was taken off the case. Camarena's widow and the mother of his three sons, Mika, told the publication: 'I want the truth to be out. By the early '80s, Ronald Reagan was the new President and the agency was in full force. Years later, another Justice Department review found he had repeatedly created scientifically unsupportable lab reports and provided false, misleading, or inaccurate testimony at criminal trials.. Enrique Camarena Salaza lahir di . The Netflix series Narcos: Mexico centers around a. On February 7, 1985, the cartel struck, seizing Camarena as he left the office to meet Mika for lunch. Some told startling stories, alleging that U.S. officials had secretly been involved with a cartel that was delivering huge quantities of marijuana and cocaine to the USA, according to people familiar with the case who were not authorized to discuss the investigation publicly. They positioned themselves on the streets surrounding his office at the U.S. consulate inGuadalajara, Mexico, ready to block the young federal agent if he tried to escape. Since I had represented some people involved in drug prosecutions in federal court in my hometown of Laredo, I was thunderstruck when I heard about the Camarena case. There he struggles against local police . FBI scientists made such claims for years in front of judges and juries. All three series tell the story of Kiki Camarena, a 37-year-old DEA agent assigned to work in Mexico during the 1980s. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.