BBC News, 10
August 2013
 |
| Rafael Caro Quintero was a founding member of Mexico's Guadalajara Cartel |
Mexico's
drugs war
The US has
reacted angrily to the early release by a Mexico court of a drugs lord who
served 28 years in prison for the kidnap and murder of a US agent.
The court
cut short Rafael Caro Quintero's 40-year sentence for the 1985 killing of US
Drug Enforcement agent Enrique Camarena.
It ruled
that Caro Quintero, now 60, should have been tried in a state rather than a
federal court.
The Drug
Enforcement Agency said the unannounced move as "deeply troubling".
The murder
strained US-Mexico ties and changed the war on drugs trafficking.
Caro
Quintero is still listed as one of the DEA's five top international fugitives,
and the US authorities believe he has been controlling drugs money from behind
bars.
"DEA
will vigorously continue its efforts to ensure Caro-Quintero faces charges in
the United States for the crimes he committed," said the agency in a
statement.
Mexico's
Attorney General Jesus Murillo Karam echoed those concerns, saying his office
was analyzing whether there were any charges pending against Caro Quintero.
DEA
fugitive
One of
three founding members of the Guadalajara Cartel, Caro Quintero had been
arrested in Costa Rica amid a massive manhunt for cartel leaders.
 |
| Mexican police officers patrolled the surroundings of the Puente Grande prison where Rafael Caro Quintero has been held |
The group
was thought to be responsible for transporting the majority of the cocaine
consumed in the US in the 1980s, the BBC's Will Grant reports from Mexico City.
Caro
Quintero could have faced other charges or possible extradition to the US, but
walked free early on Friday before media were notified.
The court
did not clear Caro Quintero of Camarena's death, a move that would caused
significant scandal in US law enforcement circles where the murdered operative
is heralded as a hero, adds our correspondent.
Many
analysts believe the Camarena killing represented a key turning point in the
fight against drug trafficking in Mexico.
It broke up
the Guadalajara Cartel into splinter groups, which formed the basis of today's
powerful drug gangs.
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