Fonseca Carrillo, the Mexican drug lord convicted of torturing and murdering Kiki Camarena, is released
The founder of the now-defunct Guadalajara cartel, once the most powerful in Mexico during the 1980s, had been under house arrest since 2017 due to his advanced age.
Drug trafficker Ernesto Fonseca is transferred in jail, 2005.
Mexican drug trafficker Ernesto Fonseca Carrillo, known as "Don Neto," was released on Wednesday after serving a 40-year prison sentence for the murder of an undercover U.S. DEA agent, according to Mexican authorities.
The founder of the Guadalajara Cartel, once the most powerful in Mexico during the 1980s but now defunct, had been under house arrest since 2017 due to his advanced age and health issues. Fonseca is now 94 years old.
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A source within the federal justice system, speaking on condition of anonymity as she was not authorized to comment, confirmed to AFP that Fonseca Carrillo had completed his sentence, though no further details were provided.
The drug trafficker was found guilty of torturing and murdering Enrique "Kiki" Camarena, a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent, and a Mexican pilot in February 1985.
According to local media, Fonseca Carrillo would have completed his 40-year sentence on April 5. He is listed as a "fugitive" on the DEA website for the "kidnapping and murder of a federal agent."
Others implicated in "Kiki" Camarena's death
In addition to Don Neto, other drug trafficking leaders were also accused and arrested for the kidnapping, torture, and murder of Kiki Camarena.
One of them is Rafael Caro Quintero, co-founder of the Guadalajara Cartel, who was handed over by Mexico to the United States on February 27, along with 28 other high-profile criminals sought by the U.S.
U.S. hearing for Caro Quintero, the "Narco of Narcos," moved forward
Judge Block had previously paused the proceedings against Caro Quintero, setting a 90-day deadline on March 26 to determine whether the so-called "Narco of Narcos" would face the death penalty.
In the 1980s, Caro Quintero was known as Mexico’s largest marijuana producer, with his fortune estimated at $500 million.
Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo, another Mexican drug lord implicated in Kiki Camarena's murder, is currently being held at the Puente Grande federal prison in Jalisco. The 79-year-old drug kingpin is serving his sentence there.
In late March, family members of Kiki Camarena filed a federal civil lawsuit in the Southern District Court of California against Don Neto, Caro Quintero, and Félix Gallardo.
They hold the three drug traffickers responsible for the murder of the DEA agent and are seeking financial compensation for damages.
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