Who is Rafael Caro Quintero, Mexican drug lord extradited to US alongside 28 other cartel members

Mexico has extradited 29 drug cartel figures to the United States, including infamous kingpin Rafael Caro Quintero, the architect of the 1985 murder of a US DEA agent, on Thursday.
The large-scale transfer, seen as an extraordinary act of security cooperation, comes as Mexican officials engage in high-stakes negotiations in Washington to avert the Trump administration’s threat of sweeping 25% tariffs on Mexican imports.

Prosecutors from both nations confirmed that the inmates transferred to the US were charged with various offences, including drug trafficking and, in certain instances, murder alongside other criminal activities.
"We will prosecute these criminals to the fullest extent of the law in honor of the brave law enforcement agents who have dedicated their careers - and in some cases, given their lives - to protect innocent people from the scourge of violent cartels," US Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement.

Rafael Caro Quintero is one of Mexico’s most infamous drug lords and a founding member of the Guadalajara Cartel, a key player in the rise of modern Mexican drug trafficking.
He is best known for orchestrating the 1985 kidnapping, torture, and murder of US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena, a crime that severely strained US-Mexico relations.
Caro Quintero was arrested and sentenced to 40 years in prison for his role in the murder, but in 2013, after serving 28 years, a Mexican court controversially overturned his sentence, allowing him to walk free—much to the outrage of US authorities.
Following his release, he resumed drug trafficking and was linked to violent turf wars in northern Mexico, particularly in Sonora.

The US renewed efforts to capture him, and in 2022, after years on the run, he was recaptured by Mexican forces. His arrest came during a high-risk operation that resulted in the deaths of 14 Mexican Marines in a helicopter crash. A navy dog ultimately found him hiding in the bushes.
Pressure from the US, including the Trump administration’s threats of trade tariffs and the designation of Mexican cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, intensified calls for his extradition.

According to BBC, the other extradited figures were Miguel Ángel Treviño (Z-40) and Omar Treviño (Z-42), the former leaders of the brutal Zetas Cartel, known for their extreme violence.
Miguel Treviño, arrested in 2013, was wanted in both the US and Mexico for orchestrating massacres and running a global drug empire. His brother, Omar, was captured in 2015 and faced multiple charges, including drug trafficking, kidnapping, and murder.
Other cartel operatives included Vicente Carrillo Fuentes, the former leader of the Juarez Cartel and brother of Amado Carrillo Fuentes, known as "The Lord of the Skies," who died during a botched plastic surgery in 1997.
Additionally, the extradition list featured high-ranking security chiefs from different factions of the Sinaloa Cartel, cartel financial operators, and a suspect linked to the 2022 killing of a North Carolina sheriff’s deputy.
The justice department indicated that amongst the 29 detainees, six individuals could potentially face the federal death penalty, which was reinstated by the Trump administration at the beginning of his term.