Drug lord convicted in 1985 killing of U.S. agent released from prison in Mexico

Nikesh Vaishnav
Disclosure: This website may contain affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission if you click on the link and make a purchase. I only recommend products or services that I personally use and believe will add value to my readers. Your support is appreciated!

Drug lord Ernesto “Don Neto” Fonseca Carrillo, who was convicted in the 1985 killing of a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent, was freed from prison after completing his 40-year sentence, a federal agent confirmed late Wednesday.

Fonseca, 94, had been serving the remainder of his sentence under home confinement outside Mexico City since being moved from prison in 2016. The federal agent, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the case, said he was released last weekend.

The co-founder of the Guadalajara Cartel along with Rafael Caro Quintero, Fonseca was convicted in the kidnapping, torture and murder of DEA agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena.

Headed to a luncheon with his wife, Mika, on Feb. 7, 1985, Camarena, then 37 years old, was surrounded by five armed men who threw him into a car and sped away, according to the DEA. He had been due to transfer back to the U.S. just three weeks later. 

About a month after he disappeared, Camarena’s body was found on a ranch about 60 miles away, according to the DEA. He had been tortured. 

Caro Quintero, who was also convicted in the murder, was one of 29 cartel figures Mexico sent to the United States in February.

It was not immediately clear if the United States would also seek Fonseca, who is listed on the DEA website as a fugitive for “kidnapping and murder of a federal agent.”

MEXICO-DRUG-FONSECA-TRANSFER

Mexico’s Federal police members stand guard outside the federal maximum security prison in Puente Grande, Jalisco State Mexico on July 28, 2016, during the transfer of Ernesto Fonseca Fonseca, convicted in the 1985 murder of a U.S. undercover agent, who was transferred from a Mexican prison to house arrest, authorities said. 

HECTOR GUERRERO/AFP via Getty Images


Fonseca was arrested in Puerto Vallarta in 1985.

Camarena, a father of three sons, was living in Guadalajara, Mexico, with his family working as an undercover DEA agent, his son told CBS News in a 2017 interview. He had been stationed there for four years on the trail of the country’s biggest marijuana and cocaine traffickers.



Son follows father’s footsteps to become judge

02:24

Cara Tabachnick

contributed to this report.

Share This Article
Leave a Comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *