Kiki (right) and Fredy (left) spend time with themselves as the tortures took a break. Morlet and Verdin can be seen in the background.
On February 7, 1985; DEA Special Agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena and his pilot Fredy Zavala were kidnapped by agents of the Dirección Federal de Seguridad, allegedly on behalf of Rafael Caro Quintero, one of the leaders of the Guadalajara Cartel. Kiki and Fredy were tortured for information for a period of over 30 hours, resulting in their deaths.
The death of an American federal agent on the hands of Mexican drug traffickers had a profound effect on the United States' attitude towards drug smuggling, pivoting the influence of the DEA in Latin America.
Events[]
Background[]
Kiki Camarena
Enrique Camarena Salazar was a Mexican-born American DEA agent. He was transferred to the DEA's Guadalajara branch in 1981 and worked under James Kuykendall. He had a profound interest in making a change, and dedicated his life into bringing down drug traffickers in the region.
Captain Alfredo Zavala was a Mexican pilot who flew planes for an American-sponsored drug eradication program in Zacatecas. Zavala was contacted by Kuykendall and Camarena to fly over the countryside and collect photographs of a massive weed farm operated by the cartel.
The Guadalajara cartel was one of the earliest and most powerful drug cartels to operate in Mexico. It was founded by Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo, Ernesto Fonseca Carrillo and Rafael Caro Quintero in 1980. The cartel was initially fed by the Rancho Búfalo superfarm, taken care of by Caro Quintero. The farm still supplied most of the cartel's marijuana, despite the cartel moving to the cocaine trafficking business long ago.
Rafael Caro Quintero
The Dirección Federal de Seguridad was Mexico's internal intelligence agency during that time, and was notoriously corrupt, with many of its members being involved in drug trafficking. The DFS provided security to the cartel.
Weed farm raid[]
Fonseca Carrillo (left) and Félix Gallardo (right)
Kiki Camarena had been on the tail of the Guadalajara cartel since 1981, and gets his first major lead when he sneaks into the Rancho Búfalo and spends a day working undercover. He then spends the next few years locating the farm, and revealing it's existence to his superiors. Kiki has Fredy fly him over the ranch, and takes photographs, presenting them his boss, and later to a special investigations team sent in by the U.S. Senate.
The information is immediately shared to the Mexican military, who back-channel a raid; since they were aware of the corruption of the local police force. In November 1984, a massive military raid takes place, and the military gains control of the farm and sets ablaze all of the marijuana plants, causing damages upwards of $8 billion (in 2018 values).
The Kidnapping[]
Alfredo Zavala Avelar.
The raid takes everyone by surprise. Both the DFS and the political backers of the cartel were scared, and decided to kidnap to agent and torture him to obtain the extent of American knowledge of the cartel. Cartel boss Félix Gallardo initially declined to make a move on Kiki, not wanting to risk his entire business on a lone American agent who actually might not know that much. However, his political backers, fearing that their connections to the cartel might be revealed, put pressure on Félix Gallardo to authorize the kidnapping.
The DFS, led by Juan José Esparragoza Moreno decide to start with the kidnapping without Félix Gallardo's approval. He meets up with Rafael Caro Quintero, and manipulates him into ordering the kidnapping of the duo.
Sammy Alvarez
Sammy Alvarez, an ex-Jalisco state police officer and the right-hand man of Fonseca Carrillo is recruited by the DFS into performing the kidnapping.
Kiki, after celebrating his success, decides to have dinner with his wife. He leaves the Camelot bar walking to his car, where he is greeted by Alvarez. As Kiki moved towards Alvarez, Alvarez says that his commander wants to have a word, and Kiki notices a Volkswagen sedan pull up on the side of the road, and notorious DFS agent Tomas Morlet gets out. Suddenly, two suit-clad DFS agents sneak up behind Kiki, but a bag over his head and gag his hands and drag the agent to the car and shove him inside. Kiki is made to sit in between the two agents in the back, as Morlet drives away from the scene, followed by another car of DFS agents. The two cars pass by a local police car, which then pulls up behind Morlet's car. Morlet orders the policemen to drive ahead and clear the way. The three cars then rush to 881 Lope de Vega, the address of one of the mansions owned by Caro Quintero.
Sergio Espino Verdin
Fonseca, upon noticing that his right-hand man is missing, arrives at the mansion and scolds Rafael for listening to the DFS. He then calls Félix Gallardo and informs him of the situation. Félix rushes to the mansion in his sports car, and publicly berates Rafael for falling prey to the DFS' scheme, saying that Rafael will be blamed if anything goes wrong. Then, his political backer arrives, and says that the men in Mexico City want the kidnapping to happen. Fonseca tells Félix Gallardo to abandon the DFS agents and start over, but Félix Gallardo laments that it is too late to leave. Félix then goes to see the captured agent, and then orders Mexico Federal Judicial Police commander Sergio Espino Verdin to begin the torture session.
Camarena was tortured at Gallardo's ranch over a 30-hour period, then murdered. His skull was punctured by a metal object, and his ribs were broken. He was injected with adrenaline, most likely to ensure that he remained conscious while being tortured. It is believed that Zavala suffered the same fate.
The torture sessions were recorded, and the interrogator asked Kiki if he recognized the names of high-ranking politicians and generals. Initially, Kiki gives in and says the name of his deceased neighbor, Antonio Vargas, who helped set wiretaps. Morlet prevents Verdin from taking breaks and orders the torture to continue and more names to be found. Kiki received food and water from the cartel, but Fredy received nothing. In midst, Kiki is taken out, where he meets Fredy and apologizes for getting him involved.
Félix Gallardo also meets Kiki during his torture, and the pair share a conversation.
Investigation[]
Calderoni tortures Rafael for information on Camarena's location.
Meanwhile, Rafael Caro Quintero flees to Costa Rica. Félix Gallardo, in order to save himself, secretly reveals Rafael's location to the Mexican police. A Mexican police force, led by Guillermo Calderoni work together with the Costa Rican police and arrest Rafael Caro Quintero.
Calderoni tortures Rafael into giving away the location of Kiki, and Rafael finally caves in. Kuykendall, along with the local police rush to 881 Lope de Vega, only to find it completely empty, with no sign on Kiki anywhere. The corrupt government uses this an opportunity to eliminate opposition by sending the police to a location where there is a presence of Kiki, and kill the inhabitants, who are usually activists opposed to the government.
Eventually, the bodies of Kiki and Fredy are discovered in the countryside. The bodies were loaded onto a pick-up truck and were taken to Mexico City. Kiki's body eventually reached the United States, where he was buried with full honors.
Fallout[]
Calderoni holding Félix Gallardo at gunpoint
The United States aggressively retaliates for the murder of Kiki Camarena. The border with Mexico is shut down, and immense pressure is applied on the Mexican government to bring swift justice. Several police forces lose thousands of men due to corruption. The DFS is shut down. Armando Pavón Reyes, the man who previously led the investigation of Kiki's murder is arrested for corruption.
A manhunt begins for the Félix Gallardo and Fonseca Carrillo, and they both go into hiding. Getting the location of Félix from Governor Leopoldo Sánchez Celis, Calderoni stages a raid on Félix's safehouses, and successfully pins down the drug lord. In desperation, Félix Gallardo tells him that if he dies, then tapes implicating Calderoni's bosses to the murder of Kiki would be released, threatening his career and family. Calderoni, reluctantly accepts a bribe of $2 million, and lets Félix Gallardo go, in exchange for receiving five of the seven tapes. In reality, there were only five tapes, and Félix Gallardo completely bluffed about the other tapes. The five tapes in Félix Gallardo's possession are planted at Ernesto Fonseca Carrillo's beach house after his location was revealed to the police by Félix Gallardo. With Fonseca Carrillo and Caro Quintero arrested, the United States considers it a mission completed, despite kingpin Félix Gallardo still being at large.
The DEA were unhappy about this, and Acting Administrator John Lawn launches Operation Leyenda in order to bring justice for Kiki, by bringing in a specialized team of agents led by Walt Breslin who do not play by the rules.
Aftermath[]
The kidnapping had a significant effect on the DEA. DEA agents received recognition and respect, and the United States' retaliatory methods made cartels think twice before attempting to threaten any DEA agent, even in places like Colombia, granting them immunity from death. This proved highly beneficial to DEA agents like Steve Murphy and Javier Peña, who investigated the Medellín Cartel in Colombia. Kiki was now thought of a Jesus-like figure within the DEA since he died to save everyone else.
The Guadalajara Cartel lost two of its leaders, strengthening Miguel Angel's hold over the cartel. The drug lord blackmailed his way into securing military protection, which along with his political protection made him virtually untouchable.