Mexican court temporarily blocks drug lord’s extradition
By AFP
A Mexican court on Monday temporarily blocked the extradition of a drug lord wanted for the murder of a US undercover agent, dimming Washington’s hopes of a quick handover.
Rafael Caro Quintero, 69, is on the FBI’s list of 10 most-wanted fugitives for the kidnap, torture and murder of Drug Enforcement Administration special agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena in 1985.
A federal judge in the western state of Jalisco ruled that Caro Quintero cannot be handed over to the US without a proper extradition process.
It is unknown how long the procedure will take, but any delays are likely to disappoint US officials.
US Attorney General Merrick Garland said on Friday that Washington would seek the drug kingpin’s “immediate extradition.”
Caro Quintero’s arrest on Friday came nine years after he was freed by a court on a technicality, having served 28 years of a 40-year sentence in Mexico for Camarena’s murder.
By the time Mexico’s Supreme Court overturned the decision, Caro Quintero had already gone into hiding.
His defense team is trying to secure his release again, alleging procedural errors in his capture, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador told reporters.
“We’re going to take care that there’s no corruption or any act contrary to the law,” he said.
Caro Quintero, alias “Rafa,” has a $20 million bounty on his head.
He is accused of cofounding the now-defunct Guadalajara drug cartel and currently runs an arm of the infamous Sinaloa cartel, according to US authorities.
Fourteen Mexican marines who took part in the operation died in a helicopter crash after Caro Quintero’s arrest.
