The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is stepping up efforts to capture the Mexican drug lord suspected of killing a federal agent 26 years ago.
Last week, the DEA put up a billboard on US 60 Grand Avenue in Phoenix, Ariz., blasting out its $5 million reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of Rafael Caro-Quintero, ex-leader of the defunct Guadalajara Cartel. Mexican and American federal law enforcement officials accuse him of orchestrating the kidnapping, torture, and murder of DEA special agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena in 1985.
Caro-Quintero had served 28 years of a 40-year prison term for his crimes when a Mexican court ordered his release on August 9, 2013 on procedural grounds. However, he is facing federal murder, felony kidnapping, and other criminal charges in California. In November of last year, retired federal agents involved in the Camarena murder investigation revealed they had found evidence that a CIA operative of Cuban descent may have also been involved in the DEA agent’s death.
The billboard lists two free telephone numbers, one for people calling in from Mexico, Central America, and South America, that tipsters can call, as well as an email address. It also features three photos of Caro-Quintero, including one showing what he looks like today.
In addition to Phoenix, similar billboards are being placed in El Paso, Texas, and San Diego and Los Angeles.
