I grab a little bit from one supervisor, I grab a little bit from another, and added on to me to become who I am today, he said, as his former colleagues in the district attorneys office nodded appreciatively along with his family and friends. In real life, Camarenas wife was indeed named Mika, and she is the mother of his three children. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. He spent 28 years in prison . In 1985, I was practicing law in Texas. His tortured body was found a month later. They seem to maintain low profiles and don't have an over social media presence. They were high school sweethearts and continued their relationship after he began working as a firefighter and then joined the police in Calexico. Rafael Caro Quintero walked free while serving a 40-year sentence for the torture-murder of U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena in 1985 and has since apparently . Watch The Last Narc to see why. On Thursday, February 7, 1985, at 2:00 pm, Special Agent Enrique Camarena left the American Consulate in Guadalajara to meet his wife, Mika, for lunch. Kidnapped February 7, 1985 and tortured and subsequently Murdered within 2 We didnt see a lot of effort (to capture Caro Quintero) in the last several years, especially when (Lpez Obrador) came in and immediately started to dismantle a lot of the infrastructure and the bilateral relationships between the U.S. and Mexico relative to drug trafficking, Vigil said. Drug dealers don't blindfold and record interrogations to kill someone. He decided not to become a police officer because his dad thought it was too dangerous, according to NBC San Diego, which quoted him as saying, I grab a little bit from one supervisor, I grab a little bit from another, and added on to me to become who I am today., Judge Enrique Camarena Jr. is speaking to @MSASanDiego 6th Graders. All rights reserved, San Diego and California's COVID-19 Emergency Declarations Expire Tuesday. It took five years and four months to face him. Scoprite #TheLastNarc, la storia di un eroe caduto e di un uomo che ha rischiato tutto per rivelare la spaventosa verit, indagando fra propaganda e corruzione. And I'm going to be serving my county, serving this community in a different way.". She continues her mission to combat the societal effects of drugs in her late husband's honor. Enrique is now a deputy district attorney. There is no hiding place for anyone who kidnaps, tortures, and murders American law enforcement, he said in a statement. What's the real story of the death of Kiki Camarena? Miguel ngel Flix Gallardo: Im not going to talk about because they've treated us poorly. Son, Brother, Husband, Father, US Marine, DEA Agent. Flix Gallardo: I was in a house in Cosmos in Guadalajara when they knocked down the door, without any arrest warrant, without any search warrant. "It's been 32 years," he said. He blamed Camarena for a raid on a marijuana plantation in 1984. A television series recently detailed your life and portrayed you as a drug trafficker, as the cocaine czar for having opened the coca routes from South America to the United States and dealings with Pablo Escobar. Gallardo was sentenced to 37 years in 2017 for the death of Camarena by a Mexican court (as well as the murder of Alfredo Zavala, a Mexican pilot), according to The Times. Each year, on October 23-31, more than 80 million . Kiki's kids are all grown up. Where is Kiki Camarena son now? LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 14: Michael Pena (Enrique 'Kiki" Camarena) and Tenoch Huerta (Rafael Caro Quintero) attend Netflix's 'Narcos: Mexico' Season 1 Premiere at Regal Cinemas L.A. Live. Did he really move to Guadalajara, Mexico and work for the DEA? He was on his way to meet his wife, Geneva "Mika" Camarena who was his high school sweetheart for lunch. He was a Marine. Today, the eight-day celebration is an annual catalyst to show intolerance for drugs in our schools, workplaces, and communities. The non-profit's aim is to fight against youth drug use and abuse. She went on to raise her three boys alone. However, she gradually distanced herself from the details about the case in order to focus more on what used to drive him during his lifetime: to not let the drug cartels win. I was beaten and pulled out in less than a minute, and I suffered four broken ribs. [I was] with my family. Would love your thoughts, please comment. In a talk, she, In an interview, she also spoke of the changes that have come out in the aftermath of her husbands death. Holes had been drilled in his head, his skull had . In 1956, Kiki moved with his family to Calexico, California. His initial trial was the longest in Mexican history, lasting more than 28 years until his conviction in 2017 for the murders of Camarena and Mexican pilot Alfredo Zavala Avelar. He is giving pensions. And Im not talking about who you are as a lawyer or trial skills. Camarena was born in 1947 in Baja California, Mexico.He moved to the United States of America at a young age, but continued to periodically visit his grandmother in Guadalajara.. After completing his education, he served in the U.S. Marines for three years, attaining a rank of Lance Corporal. During an interview in 2010, 25 years after his death, she was asked about which day she observes as the death anniversary of her husband, considering that he went missing on February 7th and his body was recovered on March 5th, she mentioned that while she remembers him each and every day, February 7th, 1985 was the last day she saw her. She worked briefly in the medical insurance field and in a courthouse, before pursuing a career that would last more than 13 years, says The San Diego Union-Tribune. . She presides over the Enrique S. Camarena Foundation set up in 2004. 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. The Murder Of DEA agent Kiki Camarena Part 1. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Camarena was also the father of three sons. Caro Quintero had walked free in 2013 after 28 years in prison when a court overturned his 40-year sentence for the 1985 kidnapping and killing of U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent . Eventually the cartel's kingpin, Rafael Caro Quintero, and more than two dozen others were convicted in U.S. and Mexican courts -- Caro Quintero's release last year sparking outrage and a new arrest warrant. Do you identify with the character that appears in the series? Enrique worked on domestic violence and child abuse cases, after having given his father his word that hed not become a police officer, due to the dangers of the job. Why kidnap and torture him also? After serving in the Marines, he worked as a fireman for the City of Calexico and attended Imperial Valley College, where he earned an associates degree. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. Caro Quintero, who's believed to be between 59 and 69, served 28 years of a 40-year sentence in Mexico for the grisly killing of DEA agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena before being fre Biography [] Early life []. On August 30, 2021, Dora Camarena Soto, the mother of famous DEA agent Kiki Camerena, passed away at the age of 97. We have to give it time. His boys were 11 (Enrique), 6 (Erik), and 4 (Daniel) at the time of his passing . Mika Camarena meets with President Ronald Reagan at the White House. #taliban #afghanistan #terrorism 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. "It's morphed into something else; I have to oversee everything now," said Camarena Jr."Not just the prosecution, but oversee the entire way the case is handled and all that's put forth in the case and the decisions that need to be made. Following Camarena's murder, 37-year-old Mika moved back to California with her three sons. I'm a corpse who's only looking forward to being buried next to a tree. Don Neto, also known by his full name of Ernesto Fonseca Carrillo, was a key figure in the growth of the . And Im ready for it.. In addition to this, she has been pretty vocal in the aftermath of the recent news, which has witness accounts to claim that a DEA agent and a CIA operative were involved in the murder of her husband. And so for me, its still a little bit about the legacy of duty. For example, back in 2007, he was part of the Red Ribbon Campaign Against Drugs, to make the public aware of the unseen harm caused by narcotics. Camarena's casket is returned to the U.S. after his murder. CIA killed Kiki. Snow, Rain and Wind in the Forecast Yet Again. As he lay dying, a cartel doctor was ordered to keep him alert by administering drugs.. Flix Gallardo: I dedicated myself to agriculture and livestock since I was a child. So, where are they now? Moreover, the DEA even went so far as to orchestrate the kidnapping in Mexico of a Mexican doctor who was alleged to have assisted with Camarenas torture. Enrique "Kiki" Camarena was a Drug Enforcement Administration agent, abducted off the street in Guadalajara while serving in Mexico, tortured and killed. EL CENTRO A convicted drug trafficker implicated in the 1985 torture and killing of DEA agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena was arrested in Mexico and returned to California to face a charge of probation violation.. Ezequiel Godinez Cervantes, 77, was arrested Wednesday in Mexicali by authorities acting on information from the FBI that he had crossed the border, the San Diego Union-Tribune . For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. All rights reserved, Ed Sheeran Shares His Wife Had a Tumor During Pregnancy, Oleato': Starbucks' Olive Oil-Infused Drinks Spark Curiosity in Italy, Next Winter Storm May Bring Even More Snow to NYC Area This Week: What to Know. Enrique 'Kiki' Camarena, 37, was abducted, tortured and killed in 1985 while working with the DEA in Mexico . People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. In a statement after Quintero's arrest on Friday, U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland marked the end to the manhunt and paid tribute to Camarena. In . Some activists have been threatened and even killed in Sonora amid Caro Quinteros turf wars with the sons of "El Chapo. He was a police officer, and then he became part of the DEA. I was born in 46. After the death of Kiki Camarena, his wife Mika Camarena became involved in a number of social and charitable initiatives in order to preserve and promote the sacrifices made by him. In an interview with Frontline, Calderoni gave a play-by-play of the high-stakes arrest, which went far less dramatically in . In season 2, an enraged DEA jacks up its efforts to dismantle the cartel and get cartel figures to prosecution, even going so far as abducting a doctor accused of being affiliated with the cartel and assisting in Camarenas death. Gallardo was arrested on charges of racketeering, drug smuggling, violent crimes, and the murder of DEA agent Kiki Camarena, and sentenced to 40 years in prison. He said, "Even if I'm only one person, I can make a difference." Camarena was survived by his widow, Geneva (also known as Mika), and their three children. These people and I have never chatted. All Rights Reserved. Jacob G. Hornberger is founder and president of The Future of Freedom Foundation. After his discharge, he briefly had a stint working as a fireman before . Jacob G. Hornberger is founder and president of The Future of Freedom Foundation. I don't know if that's changed now. Kuykendall is quoted in the book Whiteout: The CIA, Drugs, and the Press by Alexander Cockburn. I asked what was their motive and all I got was more torture. After retiring, she now dedicates all her time to the organization and works together with schools and the law enforcement department to raise awareness about drugs among youths and their parents. In 1981, the entire Camarena family left Fresno, California for Guadalajara, Mexico where Camarena was assigned. Thanks to President Ronald Reagan, that decade was when the American government began to laboriously crack down on the influx of drugs coming into the U.S. However, she recently received unprecedented media attention after Netflix produced the crime-drama series 'Narcos: Mexico' in 2018, which depicted the tragic story of her husband. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. Your strong efforts, he said, knowing better than anyone I hadn't stopped insisting during all these years. Miguel ngel Flix Gallardo, in an exclusive interview with Noticias Telemundo, denied any involvement in Enrique "Kiki" Camarena's murder, even sending his widow a message. He, that person you're mentioning,I was never in Medelln or Cali, as the series says. October 26, 2021. Through the enforcement of the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), trained agents traveled to the many narcotics hubs, mostly in Central and South America, to enforce anti-drug and trafficking laws. On-screen, he's depicted as a man with smart and innovative ideas who was able to unite different criminal organizations in a kind of federation of drug traffickers. I am going on 76 years. The case is thus, believed to be undergoing another investigation, that may bring more shocking results. They kept beating me up. In the process, youll see why the drug war is so utterly corrupt and why there are people who have a vested interest in seeing that it continues. She told the newspaper, Since retiring as a skin-care consultant, I can spend more time as president of the foundation. Consisting of four one-hour segments, it will be the most fascinating drug-war documentary you will ever watch. Mike Vigil, the DEAs former chief of international operations, said Caro Quintero was believed to have been operating independently most recently, though there had been rumors he was back with the Sinaloa cartel. Rafael Caro Quintero was convicted in the 1985 death of DEA agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena but set free in 2013 after a court overturned his 40-year sentence. Tuesday, October 26, 2021. Flix Gallardo: As the honest person that I always was, a man who wasn't into weapons. Later Thursday, another former prosecutor recently appointed to the local judiciary by Gov. At the time, he spoke about how his father would have been proud of the achievement. My parents were the first to export legumes to the United States in 1942. Flix Gallardo: I have to tell you, ma'am, I've had a 5-inch TV set in prison; I'm not aware of any violence. Flix Gallardo was first arrested in April 1989 and has spent 32 years in prison in Mexico for the 1985 murder of U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena Salazar. 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. 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