Amazon Prime's 'The Last Narc' details the horrific account of DEA agent Enrique S "Kiki" Camarena Salazar's abduction and murder by the Mexican drug lords at Guadalajara and the ensuing investigation that followed. He was a police officer, and then he became part of the DEA. In 1985, Camarena was kidnapped in Guadalajara, allegedly on orders from Caro Quintero. They still seem to be together as she has not changed her status. In March 1985, the DEA recovered the body of Kiki Camarena, 37, who left behind Mika and three children named Enrique, Daniel, and Erik. After serving in the Marines, he worked as a fireman for the City of Calexico and attended Imperial Valley College, where he earned an associates degree. However, one rarely stops to wonder about the personal cost of the agents death to his family. In 2017, he was re-sentenced to 37 years for Camarena's murder; other charges included stockpiling weapons, bribery, murder, drug trafficking and money laundering. By 1985, which is when Narcos: Mexico roughly starts, he was extremely close to unlocking a multi-billion dollar drug pipeline, the DEA says. Powered by. https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/mika-camarena-43123.php. I never met that man. Life-sized, bronze busts of Camarena have been placed in learning and government facilities nationwide as a lasting tribute and reminder of the ongoing battle. That doctor was a real person although he denies involvement. Soon after, they got hitched and had three sons Enrique Jr., Daniel, and Erik. The biggest death in Narcos: Mexico Season 1 was certainly Michael Pea's character, DEA Agent Enrique 'Kiki' Camarena. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Flix Gallardo: I never met that person. ", But, Duarte said, Caro Quintero is only part (of the conflict), the conflict doesn't end.. At this point, nothing would surprise me. She also said that the prosecutors and agents working on the case, notified it to her after which there have been no further updates. It took five years and four months to face him. 31, 2020 3:11AM ET. In an. He has lost all hope that he will be released and believes he will die in prison. I'm not asking anything from the president. NBC 7's Rory Devine has more. He is doing many things, and I wouldn't like to take up his time. Zavala was helping Camarena in his undercover operations, The LA Times reported. Watch on. Mika Camarena, whose given name is Geneva Camarena, was high school sweethearts with Kiki. Enrique "Kiki" Camarena was a Drug Enforcement Administration agent, abducted off the street in Guadalajara while serving in Mexico, tortured and killed. Eventually the cartel's kingpin, Rafael Caro Quintero, and more than two dozen others were convicted in U.S. and Mexican courts -- Caro Quintero's release last year sparking outrage and a new arrest warrant. I was beaten and pulled out in less than a minute, and I suffered four broken ribs. His wife, Geneva Mika Camarena, lost her husband at the age of 36, when the two were in their prime, raising their family of three children. Rafael Caro Quintero walked free while serving a 40-year sentence for the torture-murder of U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena in 1985, and has since apparently . Kiki's children Enrique, Daniel, and Eric mourned the loss of their father. All Rights Reserved. However, she feels that changes in the DEA did help in a significant way after her husband's death, as her children's education was paid for by the amount raised for survivors' benefit. 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. She started the Enrique S. Camarena Educational Foundation in 2004 exactly for the purpose. 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. Violence is a consequence of unemployment, of social inequality, which Mr. Lpez Obrador is solving little by little. Flix Gallardo: No. On the other hand, Enrique has proudly followed his fathers footsteps. Moreover, if its vengeance for costing the cartel lots of money, why not simply assassinate him? What's the real story of the death of Kiki Camarena? Rafael Caro Quintero's role in the the 1985 kidnapping and killing of U.S. DEA agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena was a low point in U.S.-Mexico relations. 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. At age 40, Camarena Jr. takes the Superior Court bench after 15 years as a deputy district attorney in San Diego County, and his swearing-in ceremony drew a capacity gallery in the court's presiding department. Lock 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 . Kiki Camarena was missing and nobody knew what had happened at that time. I wanted to find out what made the guy tick, and I did a lot of research and thank God I spoke with Mika (Camarenas wife), he told Newsweek. I am not thinking of freedom. The impact Kikis death has had on the drug war, and by extension, the entire world is undeniable. On the face of it, it would appear that Camarena was kidnapped, tortured, and killed because he was responsible for discovering and destroying a massive marijuana plantation in Mexico that cost the drug cartel billions of dollars. His tortured body was found a month later. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. And so for me, its still a little bit about the legacy of duty. The non-profit's aim is to fight against youth drug use and abuse. She also says that Camarena is always on her mind. That will get you better set for watching The Last Narc. Thats the way that Camarena comes across in all three of these series. Kuykendall is quoted in the book Whiteout: The CIA, Drugs, and the Press by Alexander Cockburn. in economics from Virginia Military Institute and his law degree from the University of Texas. And that is what he didin life and through his death. Kiki and his mother, Dora Salazar-Camarena. In addition, it takes the added responsibility of commemorating those who have been a victim of fighting illegal drug trades. 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. Kiki was surrounded by five armed men who threw him into a car and sped away. He spoke about it, saying, Its morphed into something else; I have to oversee everything now. I believe in Sonora, in general, there could be calm, and yes, relief for us, because I believe the disappearances will diminish, said Cecilia Duarte, an activist with a team of volunteer searchers in Sonora who look for the clandestine graves of the disappeared. I have half my body paralyzed,said Flix Gallardo, 75, the co-founder of the Guadalajara cartel, one of the first drug trafficking organizations in Mexico. The Netflix series Narcos: Mexico centers around a Mexican drug cartels murder and torture of Kiki Camarena, a federal narcotics agent for the United States. These people and I have never chatted. The former DEA agent Kiki Camarenas death has been a testimony to the violent and political nature of drug cartels that form the backbone of the manufacturing and distribution of illegal drugs. One of those hundreds of agents was DEA Special Agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena. Camarena poses with Mexican law enforcement. His family knew that being a Special Agent could be very dangerous. I think the knowledge of the danger was always there. In 1987, Mr. Hornberger left the practice of law to become director of programs at the Foundation for Economic Education. He was also a veteran, having joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 1968, according to a DEA biography of him. She has constantly been out in public, creating awareness by talking about eliminating drug abuse and its market. This Mr. Camarena, whoever they were, whoever did it, the perpetrators and masterminds are behind bars; they've paid with their lives in prison, and they've had a very rough time. Of the 10, three agreed to be interviewed for this story. "My health is terrible. He was about to expose the operation when he was kidnapped on February 7 while he went to have lunch with his wife, Mika. Secure .gov websites use HTTPSA lock ( Flix Gallardo was first arrested in April 1989 and has spent 32 years in prison in Mexico for the 1985 murder of U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena Salazar. In a talk, she, In an interview, she also spoke of the changes that have come out in the aftermath of her husbands death. We did not meet on the street. [I was] with my family. I had stomach surgery. Consisting of four one-hour segments, it will be the most fascinating drug-war documentary you will ever watch. Many people in Calexico had began wearing red ribbons after Kiki was murdered, a gesture that later turned into the Red Ribbon campaign and is now celebrated for a week during October 23-31 each year. For more than 30 hours, Caro-Quintero and others interrogated Camarena and . I also owned some drugstores and two old hotels. I am going on 76 years. Caro Quintero, who's believed to be between 59 and 69, served 28 years of a 40-year sentence in Mexico for the grisly killing of DEA agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena before being fre Flix Gallardo: It is a very sad subject. And so for me, its still a little bit about the legacy of duty. I'm not aware why they've linked me to that crime. . With President Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador's amnesty for inmates over 75 years of age, do you hope to benefit from that measure? A family photo featuring their three sons -- Enrique, Daniel, and Eric. He was born and raised in Laredo, Texas, and received his B.A. My life expectancy is very low, as you can see. Gallardo was sentenced to 37 years in 2017 for the death of Camarena by a Mexican court (as well as the murder of Alfredo Zavala, a Mexican pilot), according to The Times. According to The San Diego Union-Tribune newspaper. Caro Quintero had walked free in 2013 after 28 years in prison when a court overturned his 40-year sentence for the 1985 kidnapping and killing of U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent . Powered by WordPress.com VIP. Narcos: Mexico Seasons 1 and 2 are available to stream on Netflix now, . "You know, I think about him every day, Camarena Jr. And so for me, it's still a little bit about the legacy of duty. The four-part cartel docuseries The Last Narc is set to premiere on Prime on May 15. Enrique is now a deputy district attorney. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. The book alleges that DEA officers investigating Camarenas death knew that the drug agents murder was a joint operation between the drug cartel and the DFS, an agency with intimate ties to the CIA., Kuykendall said, The CIA didnt give a damn about anything but Cuba and the Soiets. Mika Camarena is an American activist and the wife of late Mexican-born American undercover agent for the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Enrique S. 'Kiki' Camarena Salazar, who was kidnapped, tortured and murdered by drug cartels in early 1985 while on assignment in Mexico. The Camarena Foundation also supports Red Ribbon week for drug awareness each year. 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. The Mexican drug lord whose role in ordering the kidnapping and murder of a US drugs enforcement agent in 1985 was featured in Netflix drama Narcos: Mexico has been captured by law enforcement.. Rafael Caro Quintero, a notorious co-founder of the brutal Guadalajara Cartel, was behind the torture and murder of 37-year-old DEA agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena. My life expectancy is nonexistent. He was on the FBIs most wanted list, with a $20 million reward for his capture through the State Departments Narcotics Rewards Program. Enrique is now a deputy district attorney. The first question was why, after so many years, he had decided to grant an interview. "It's been 32 years," he said. Camarena les . On Thursday, February 7, 1985, at 2:00 pm, Special Agent Enrique Camarena left the American Consulate in Guadalajara to meet his wife, Mika, for lunch. Camarena and the DEA's investigation into Caro Quintero and the Guadalajara Cartel in the mid-80s was detailed in the hit Netflix show "Narcos: Mexico.". For example, back in 2007, he was part of the Red Ribbon Campaign Against Drugs, to make the public aware of the unseen harm caused by narcotics. I think of my grandchildren. They don't let us have visitors, no phone booths, no lawyers. However, Enrique is realistic and recognized how his duties would be different in the new role. He saw the possibility and the signs of an empire being builtthis narcotics empireand he wanted to put an end to it because he saw what it could possibly become.. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. Registered as a Republican, Camarenas job and family history has naturally solidified his anti-drugs stance. 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. Mika has become a major advocate for drug awareness across the U.S., keeping her late husband's memory alive. Would love your thoughts, please comment. I received a plastic bag over my head to suffocate me. Narcos: Mexico shows the growth of the Guadalajara Cartel, pieced together by Felix Gallardo out of warring factions. His death stunned the nation and forever changed the war. The organization offers life-size bronze busts of Kiki to be unveiled at schools and libraries in San Diego and across the country. But I knew, she shares. I'm a corpse who's only looking forward to being buried next to a tree. Watch The Last Narc to see why. EL CENTRO A convicted drug trafficker implicated in the 1985 torture and killing of DEA agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena was arrested in Mexico and returned to California to face a charge of probation violation.. Ezequiel Godinez Cervantes, 77, was arrested Wednesday in Mexicali by authorities acting on information from the FBI that he had crossed the border, the San Diego Union-Tribune . Of course, everyone believes in miracles, but only for my grandkids. Camarena's casket is returned to the U.S. after his murder. I'm really sorry because I know he was a good man. Flix Gallardo: I dedicated myself to agriculture and livestock since I was a child. Your strong efforts, he said, knowing better than anyone I hadn't stopped insisting during all these years. The foundation was formed in . Camarena opens the show in a scene that shows hes been abducted. Flix Gallardo: I'm not expecting that. In April 2016 I had the first contact with one of his lawyers in Mexico City. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. According to The San Diego Union Tribune, the couple met at Calexico High School in Calexico, California, and became high-school sweethearts. It was an afternoon, at the beginning of August, and he was coming from the prisons medical ward. Known to his friends as "Kiki," Special Agent Camarena had been in Mexico for more than four years on the trail of Mexican marijuana and cocaine drug traffickers. You can read about him here. Jacob G. Hornberger is founder and president of The Future of Freedom Foundation. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. #taliban #afghanistan #terrorism But during this time, Geneva Camarena was also speaking tirelessly at school anti-drug events. After her husband's death, she worked to honor his legacy, starting Red Ribbon Week in his name, and now serves as the president of the Enrique S. Camarena Foundation. 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. It appears that Kikis children have made new lives for themselves, but they continue to remember the heroics of their father, that perhaps changed the course of history itself. The DEA Museum's documentary tribute to Enrique "Kiki" Camarena, hosted by Curator of Education Josh Edmundson, features never-before-seen interviews honoring the man whose death inspired the creation of Red Ribbon Week. Son, Brother, Husband, Father, US Marine, DEA Agent. To get the message across loud and clear, President Ronald Reagan even completely shut down the U.S.-Mexico border, causing an unbelievable backlog of traffic on the Mexican side of the border. They then forcibly brought him to the United States to stand trial in federal district court. Meet Enrique "Kiki" Camarena. The case has been a point of contention . FollowNBC LatinoonFacebook,TwitterandInstagram. He was very concerned about the drug problem in this country, and wanted to make a difference by helping the people that he cared about. 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. Image source. Updated Nov 26, 2018 at 11:48pm. Garland on the capture of Rafael Caro-Quintero, among the FBI's Ten Most Wanted for his role in the alleged kidnapping & murder of DEA special agent Enrique 'Kiki' Camarena in 1985: "There . Special Agent Enrique Kiki Camarena: A Man With A Moral Mission Enrique Kiki Camarena was born on July 26, 1947, in Mexicali, Mexico, to Mexican parents. She later became a clerk in the Calexico Municipal Court, but eventually took the job of a skin-care consultant, which she continued till retiring. Camarena Educational Foundation in 2004 exactly for the purpose. 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