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. According to El Pais, Camarenas skull, jaw, nose and cheekbones were crushed with a tire iron. Mika Camarena continues to honor her former husbands legacy through the foundations work. It shows that she is in a relationship with Ricardo, who, according to one of her comments, works at a Ford Agency. Today, Fonseca is on house arrest, and Caro Quintera was "released . The agents now have better protection. So, where are they now? Similarly, some songs would remind her of her late sons Kiki Camarena and firstborn Eduardo "Lalo" Camarena, who enlisted in the U.S. Army and was . Camarena Educational Foundation in 2004 exactly for the purpose. Offers may be subject to change without notice. What relationship did you have with Caro Quintero and Fonseca Carrillo? The ending is a sad one, and what happened to Kiki Camarena would change the face of Mexican drug cartels forever and lead to the emergence of El Chapo. Flix Gallardo: I'm not expecting that. A very short video segment released by the navy showed Caro Quintero his face blurred dressed in jeans, a soaking wet blue shirt and baggy khaki jacket held by both arms by men wearing camfoulage uniforms and carrying assault rifles. Camarena said, You know, I think about him every day. But on February 7, 1985, at 2:00 pm, he was kidnapped by five men as he left the American Consulate in . 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. 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. Kiki Camarena was born Enrique (Kiki) S. Camarena on July 26, 1947, in Mexicali, Mexico. 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. However, she grew up in Calexico. Dont give it up because theyll win. I asked what was their motive and all I got was more torture. In February 1985 Camarena was kidnapped by drug traffickers hired by Mexican politicians in Guadalajara, Mexico.He was interrogated under torture and murdered. The only ones who will lose will be us. The Enrique S. Camarena Foundation received the full support of her husband's colleagues and her oldest son, Enrique Jr. He was on his way to meet his wife, Geneva "Mika" Camarena who was his high school sweetheart for lunch. . 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. His and his pilot's body were later unearthed at a remote ranch, The New York Times reported. Cartels have never existed in Guadalajara. With President Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador's amnesty for inmates over 75 years of age, do you hope to benefit from that measure? LewRockwell.com and from Mika Camarena was born in Fresno in the year 1948. This is the first interview that Flix Gallardo has granted during his sentence. That never happened. 1985 - Camarena's Death. And Im ready for it.. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. Camarena was also the father of three sons. Who was the real Kiki Camarena? The story of Camarena's kidnapping and subsequent grisly death at the hands of a Mexican drug cartel was most recently brought to viewers via the wildly popular Netflix original series "Narcos . The biggest death in Narcos: Mexico Season 1 was certainly Michael Pea's character, DEA Agent Enrique 'Kiki' Camarena. Snow, Rain and Wind in the Forecast Yet Again. Some activists have been threatened and even killed in Sonora amid Caro Quinteros turf wars with the sons of "El Chapo. I'm really sorry because I know he was a good man. In her interview with The San Diego Union-Tribune, Camarena says that, since retiring, she has been able to fully dedicate herself to the foundation, and using the money it receives to offer scholarships to college-bound students. All three series tell the story of Kiki Camarena, a 37-year-old DEA agent assigned to work in Mexico during the 1980s. Amazon Primes The Last Narc traces the events after Kikis death as a dogged DEA agent uncovers the shocking truth and the murky conspiracy that links the blood-soaked drug wars in Mexico to the corridors of power in Washington. There doesn't exist a czar, there's never existed such thing. The son of a heroic DEA agent . You can read about him here. His death stunned the nation and forever changed the war. Why kidnap and torture him also? The non-profit's aim is to fight against youth drug use and abuse. The DFS agents then took Camarena, blindfolded and held at gunpoint, to one of Caro-Quintero's haciendas five miles away. Michael Pea plays DEA Agent Enrique Kiki Camarena in Season 1 of Narcos: Mexico. Flix Gallardo: I dont know them. But recently, the DEA's new head in Mexico received a visa, which the U.S. officials marked as a sign of progress in the relationship. 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. 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. Unfortunately, he was brutally murdered on the job in Mexico in 1985 by the Guadalajara Cartel, per theDEA. Stop adding to the list! I received a plastic bag over my head to suffocate me. After about a decade, on February 7th, 1985, Kiki, who was working as an undercover agent for the DEA, infiltrating drug trafficking gangs, was kidnapped and later brutally murdered by Mexican drug traffickers. The Murder Of DEA agent Kiki Camarena Part 1. He spoke about it, saying, Its morphed into something else; I have to oversee everything now. Caro Quintero was from Badiraguato, Sinaloa, the same area as Joaquin El Chapo Guzman, the former Sinaloa cartel leader now serving a life sentence in the United States. But after Berrellez figured out what was really going on, he was taken off the case. Mika was, thus, abruptly left a widow, shouldering the responsibilities of her three children. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. "That's a lifetime for a man who didn't commit a crime.". After all, when Camarena tragically died, his three children, Enrique, Erik, and Daniel, were 11, 6, and 4 years old, respectively. Kiki Camarena was missing and nobody knew what had happened at that time. He said, "Even if I'm only one person, I can make a difference." NBC 7's Rory Devine has more. Flix Gallardo: Since I havent made a mistake, I have nothing to repent. They messed up my hearing. Kiki gave his life in the fight against drugs, and the public wanted to do something to remember the ultimate sacrifice that he paid. That will get you better set for watching The Last Narc. And that's what I've been doing up until yesterday. 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 also says that Camarena is always on her mind. Flix Gallardo was 28 when he was first sentenced by a judge in Jalisco. Ambassador Ken Salazar told a gathering of reporters there had been progress in the security relationship. Camarena's widow and the mother of his three sons, Mika, told USA Today that she . And that is what he didin life and through his death. It was his end, and his new cartels end, and it was El Chapos beginning (the eventual drug lord is first seen in the beginning of Narcos: Mexico in all his humble beginnings as a driver for a Sinaloan drug lord). Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. It was too late by then; Caro Quintero was spirited off in a waiting vehicle. She has worked as an insurance clerk and as an office clerk for the Calexico Municipal Court. Enrique 'Kiki' Camarena, 37, was abducted, tortured and killed in 1985 while working with the DEA in Mexico . His badly beaten body was recovered nearly one month after he was kidnapped. The previous seasons focused on the rise and fall of Pablo Escobar and the Cali Cartel. Similarly, some songs would remind her of her late sons Kiki Camarena and firstborn Eduardo "Lalo" Camarena, who enlisted in the U.S. Army and was . Uno de ellos, Enrique 'Kiki' Camarena lleg a Guadalajara, Mxico, en 1980, cuando el Crtel de Guadalajara comenzaba a prosperar transportando la cocana que llegaba de Colombia. He went on to serve as the deputy district attorney in the Office of the District Attorney of San Diego from 1999 to 2014. I never met him. Whats the true story? This is the story of DEA Special Agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena. 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. Throughout the 1980s, the cartel controlled much of the drug trafficking in Mexico and the corridors along the Mexico-United . In a talk, she said: When theres no demand, theres no power for the dealers., In an interview, she also spoke of the changes that have come out in the aftermath of her husbands death. Did he really move to Guadalajara, Mexico and work for the DEA? That was the last time anyone but his kidnappers would see him alive, reveals the DEA, adding that he likely died two days later. They messed up my eyesight. His family knew that being a Special Agent could be very dangerous. From a national health authority. Narcos: Mexico shows the growth of the Guadalajara Cartel, pieced together by Felix Gallardo out of warring factions. 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. The organization offers life-size bronze busts of Kiki to be unveiled at schools and libraries in San Diego and across the country. "There is no hiding place for anyone who kidnaps, tortures, and murders American law enforcement. Flix Gallardo: I lost more than half of my family while I've been in jail: a daughter, my parents, my mother died without her furniture being returned to her, her furniture! What's the real story of the death of Kiki Camarena? The CIA has denied the allegations. View these interviews at Her husband, Kiki Camarena became a DEA agent after he served as a police officer for several years. A 35 aos del asesinato de Enrique "Kiki" Camarena, el diario estadounidenses USA Today asegur en un artculo escrito por Brad Heath, que las autoridades norteamericanas estn . Mika has become a major advocate for drug awareness across the U.S., keeping her late husbands memory alive. That he is fighting social inequality. Alyssa Diaz and Mika Camarena attend the Netflix Original Series Narcos: Mexico, special screening at LA Live in Los Angeles, CA on November 14, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. In the first episodes of Narcos: Mexico, Kiki Camarena (played by Michael Pena) and Felix Gallardo (played by Diego Luna) are juxtaposed as twin protagonists: One trying to solidify the drug trade and the other trying to stop it in an era when the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) was still an underappreciated agency headquartered over a strip club. She presides over the Enrique S. Camarena Foundation set up in 2004. He was a trial attorney for twelve years in Texas. I'm not aware why they've linked me to that crime. His boys were 11 (Enrique), 6 (Erik), and 4 (Daniel) at the time of his passing, and Mika was left a widow at the age of 37. Published Jul. Mexicos national arrest registry listed the time of Caro Quinteros arrest as around midday. Kiki never saw his wife or family again. 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. In addition to the foregoing, Mika Camarena is the president of the foundation set up in the name of her husband since its inception in 2004. Would love your thoughts, please comment. The available information indicated it suffered an accident, the cause of which had not yet been determined, the statement said. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. 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. Watch on. 1985-1990#KikiCamarena #Mexico #DrugCartelFor Educational Purposes. The brutal murder marked a low point in U.S.-Mexico relations. In other words, we led a family life. I have been in meetings with the foreign minister and with the security Cabinet, along with all our agencies that have included the new head of the DEA sitting at my right hand, Salazar said. Listen to article. The Amazon Prime series provides the real backstory of what happened to Camarena and why. 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. In 1985, Camarena was kidnapped in Guadalajara, allegedly on orders from Caro Quintero. The DEA Museum presents: "Remembering Kiki: Through the Eyes of his Family, Friends, & Colleagues". One of those hundreds of agents was DEA Special Agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena. Don Neto, also known by his full name of Ernesto Fonseca Carrillo, was a key figure in the growth of the . Kiki was due to be reassigned in three weeks because he had come dangerously close to exposing the top leaders of a multi-billion drug pipeline. Because of your relentless efforts! Registered as a Republican, Camarenas job and family history has naturally solidified his anti-drugs stance. That was more than 36 years ago. Not much is known about Erik or Daniel. She is pregnant throughout part of the show and living with him in Mexico with their family while his job increases in danger. In 1988, she met with President Reagan (pictured above) and First Lady, Nancy, to raise awareness about drug abuse, per theDEA. The case is thus, believed to be undergoing another investigation, that may bring more shocking results. Flix Gallardo: As the honest person that I always was, a man who wasn't into weapons. 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. How do you see the situation of violence in the country? And if the cop or the judge happen to be U.S. federal agents or a federal judge, youre going to have the full force of the U.S. government being brought to bear on you. What did you do before you were arrested? There is no hiding place for anyone who kidnaps, tortures, and murders American law enforcement, he said in a statement. His mother even tried to talk him out of it. They are old men living humble, ordinary lives in . I also owned some drugstores and two old hotels. Enrique Camarena was a DEA special agent who was born in Mexicali, grew up in Calexico, and lost his life while deep undercover in the Guadalajara Cartel one of the biggest marijuana and cocaine drug cartels in Mexico at the time after he was kidnapped, tortured, and found dead almost a month later in La Angostura, Michoacn, Mexico at the age of 37, survived by his wife and three . Brutal Murder marked a low point in U.S.-Mexico relations in Jalisco after Berrellez figured out what was their and! 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