Our youth will lose.. Camarena opens the show in a scene that shows hes been abducted. Enrique "Kiki" Camarena was a Drug Enforcement Administration agent, abducted off the street in Guadalajara while serving in Mexico, tortured and killed. In 1987, Mr. Hornberger left the practice of law to become director of programs at the Foundation for Economic Education. I'm not hoping. However, she grew up in Calexico. Their three children were only aged 11, 6 and 4 at the time. It was his end, and his new cartels end, and it was El Chapos beginning (the eventual drug lord is first seen in the beginning of Narcos: Mexico in all his humble beginnings as a driver for a Sinaloan drug lord). 4. Son, Brother, Husband, Father, US Marine, DEA Agent. He blamed Camarena for a raid on a marijuana plantation in 1984. Dont give it up because theyll win. in order to understand why the drug war continues today, they had to trace . The non-profit enlists the help of retired DEA agents and Mikas oldest son, Enrique. 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. In 2019, the Mexican government increased the number of people who have disappearedduring the war on drug trafficking to60,053. 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. In February 1985 Camarena was kidnapped by drug traffickers hired by Mexican politicians in Guadalajara, Mexico.He was interrogated under torture and murdered. In popular culture, he's known as the "The Boss of Bosses," and though it hasn't been confirmed, most people associate the popular song from the group Los Tigres del Norte with the drug lord. In 1985, Camarena was kidnapped in Guadalajara, allegedly on orders from Caro Quintero. Later Thursday, another former prosecutor recently appointed to the local judiciary by Gov. His left arm was in a cast because he fell a few weeks ago. I grab a little bit from one supervisor, I grab a little bit from another, and added on to me to become who I am today, he said, as his former colleagues in the district attorneys office nodded appreciatively along with his family and friends. The non-profit enlists the help of retired DEA agents and Mika's oldest son, Enrique. Watch The Last Narc to see why. Send him email. Ambassador Ken Salazar told a gathering of reporters there had been progress in the security relationship. The DEA also kept her informed about the developments regarding punishing the people responsible for Kiki's death. That was the last time anyone but his kidnappers would see him alive, reveals the DEA, adding that he likely died two days later. 1985 - Camarena's Death. The son of a heroic DEA agent slain in the line of duty nearly three decades ago took his oath of office to become the newest San Diego Superior Court judge Thursday, following his father's "legacy of duty.". Flix Gallardo: It is a very sad subject. In March 1985, the DEA recovered the body of Kiki Camarena, 37, who left behind Mika and three children named Enrique, Daniel, and Erik. And that's what I've been doing up until yesterday. It shows that she is in a relationship with Ricardo, who, according to one of her comments, works at a Ford Agency. The Camarena Foundation also supports Red Ribbon week for drug awareness each year. He spent four years in Mexico tracking the countrys drug dealers (the drugs of choice were marijuana and cocaine back then.). Mika Camarena continues to honor her former husbands legacy through the foundations work. That never happened. In 1956, Kiki moved with his family to Calexico, California. 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. Kiki Camarena was born Enrique (Kiki) S. Camarena on July 26, 1947, in Mexicali, Mexico. She has constantly been out in public, creating awareness by talking about eliminating drug abuse and its market. He decided not to become a police officer because his dad thought it was too dangerous, according to NBC San Diego, which quoted him as saying, I grab a little bit from one supervisor, I grab a little bit from another, and added on to me to become who I am today., Judge Enrique Camarena Jr. is speaking to @MSASanDiego 6th Graders. It was a very big question, because it took me five years to meet him. In her interview with The San Diego Union-Tribune, Camarena says that, since retiring, she has been able to fully dedicate herself to the foundation, and using the money it receives to offer scholarships to college-bound students. Mika Camarena lives in her home in Chula Vista, California. In a candid interview with the San Diego Tribune, Mika was asked if she ever imagined this happening and knew of the dangers involved in Camarenas day-to-day work life. That he is fighting social inequality. This thing, with the bacteria [Covid-19] has severely affected Mexicans' purchasing power, but this man is of goodwill and I hope God will help him. She should feel relieved that the culprits are serving time. In fact, better yet, first watch Seasons 1 and 2 of Narcos: Mexico on Netflix. According to The Los Angeles Times, Camarenas murder led to the fall of Gallardo and his close associates and the fracturing of their cartel. In the first episodes of Narcos: Mexico, Kiki Camarena (played by Michael Pena) and Felix Gallardo (played by Diego Luna) are juxtaposed as twin protagonists: One trying to solidify the drug trade and the other trying to stop it in an era when the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) was still an underappreciated agency headquartered over a strip club. ", But, Duarte said, Caro Quintero is only part (of the conflict), the conflict doesn't end.. The DEA Museum presents: "Remembering Kiki: Through the Eyes of his Family, Friends, & Colleagues". On the other hand, Enrique has proudly followed his fathers footsteps. After seeing Caro Quintero walk out of a Mexican prison once already, Vigil said he hopes the government won't risk a repeat Guzman twice escaped from Mexican maximum security prisons and would agree to a likely U.S. extradition request. This doesnt seem to have stopped her as she went ahead to form the Enrique S. Camarena Foundation in 2004. Cartels have never existed in Guadalajara. They were mostly guys in their early 30s who had joined the DEA with the patriotic aim of winning the war on drugs. "It's morphed into something else; I have to oversee everything now," said Camarena Jr."Not just the prosecution, but oversee the entire way the case is handled and all that's put forth in the case and the decisions that need to be made. 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. Mika Camarena and her future husband, Kiki Camarena, both grew up in the city of Calexico, California. A navy Blackhawk helicopter carrying 15 people crashed near the coastal city of Los Mochis during the operation, killing 14 of those aboard, the navy statement said. Todays arrest is the culmination of tireless work by DEA and their Mexican partners to bring Caro-Quintero to justice for his alleged crimes, including the torture and execution of DEA Special Agent Enrique Kiki Camarena. The previous seasons focused on the rise and fall of Pablo Escobar and the Cali Cartel. They then forcibly brought him to the United States to stand trial in federal district court. They still seem to be together as she has not changed her status. Later on, he was killed while I was in prison. Copyright 2023 Distractify. Despite the War on Drugs launching in the 1970s, it didn't hit full steam until the '80s. He has lost all hope that he will be released and believes he will die in prison. The Enrique S. Camarena Foundation received the full support of her husband's colleagues and her oldest son, Enrique Jr. 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. Ten of the informants were eyewitnesses to the kidnapping and murder of Kiki Camarena. I think the knowledge of the danger was always there. Similarly, some songs would remind her of her late sons Kiki Camarena and firstborn Eduardo "Lalo" Camarena, who enlisted in the U.S. Army and was . Through the enforcement of the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), trained agents traveled to the many narcotics hubs, mostly in Central and South America, to enforce anti-drug and trafficking laws. Actor Michael Pena, who played Kiki in Narcos, researched the role of Kiki Camarena for Narcos: Mexico in part by speaking with the agents widow. In real life, Camarenas wife was indeed named Mika, and she is the mother of his three children. He is also a judge for the Superior Court of San Diego County. Though the three men were convicted for their participation in the kidnapping, torture and murder of Camarena Salazar, only Flix Gallardo remains incarcerated. Camarena was abducted by corrupt officers on behalf of the cartel in Guadalajara, Mexico, in February 1985. Camarena was born in 1947 in Baja California, Mexico.He moved to the United States of America at a young age, but continued to periodically visit his grandmother in Guadalajara.. After completing his education, he served in the U.S. Marines for three years, attaining a rank of Lance Corporal. Camarena poses with Mexican law enforcement. The men in question were working under the orders of the big wigs of the Guadalajara cartel. Three leaders of the Guadalajara drug cartel were eventually convicted in Mexico for Camarena's murder. Enrique is around 46, while Erik is 41 years old, and Daniel, the youngest, is 39. The case is thus, believed to be undergoing another investigation, that may bring more shocking results. And Im ready for it.. A version of this story was first published in Noticias Telemundo. The U.S. government pulled out all the stops to find out who did the kidnapping, torture, and killing of Kiki Camarena, putting unbelievable amount of pressure on the Mexican government to find the people responsible and extradite them to the United States. The couple had lived there for four years because of his work for the DEA, which involved trailing Mexican marijuana and cocaine drug traffickers. IE 11 is not supported. Flix Gallardo: No. Throughout the 1980s, the cartel controlled much of the drug trafficking in Mexico and the corridors along the Mexico-United . She went on to raise her three boys alone. You were sentenced to almost 40 years in prison for the murder of Enrique "Kiki" Camarena. 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. 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. You can read about him here. 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. What would you like to do if you were to regain your freedom one day? Flix Gallardo: That I wish her comfort. He was on his way to meet his wife, Geneva "Mika" Camarena who was his high school sweetheart for lunch. Enrique 'Kiki' Camarena, 37, was abducted, tortured and killed in 1985 while working with the DEA in Mexico . The Netflix series details the background of the case and how this horrendous crime unfolded. "The CIA ordered the kidnapping and torture of 'Kiki' Camarena, and when they killed him, they made us believe it was Caro Quintero in order to cover up all the illegal things they were doing . 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. Kiki's children Enrique, Daniel, and Eric mourned the loss of their father. Vigil said he was surprized by Caro Quintero's arrest, considering Lpez Obrador's stated disinterest in going after drug cartel leaders, but he added that the DEA would never stop looking for someone who killed an agent. After all, when Camarena tragically died, his three children, Enrique, Erik, and Daniel, were 11, 6, and 4 years old, respectively. Unfortunately, he was brutally murdered on the job in Mexico in 1985 by the Guadalajara Cartel, per theDEA. Shortly before Caro Quintero's arrest Friday, U.S. Mika has become a major advocate for drug awareness across the U.S., keeping her late husbands memory alive. By 1985, which is when Narcos: Mexico roughly starts, he was extremely close to unlocking a multi-billion dollar drug pipeline, the DEA says. He was on his way to meet his wife, Geneva "Mika" Camarena who was his high school sweetheart for lunch. Suspect wanted for the killing of DEA Agent "Kiki" Camarena was arrested in Mexicali. But I knew, she shares. It was too late by then; Caro Quintero was spirited off in a waiting vehicle. The murder of DEA agent Enrique Camarena in 1985 is being further investigated. He was about to expose the operation when he was kidnapped on February 7 while he went to have lunch with his wife, Mika. He went on to serve as the deputy district attorney in the Office of the District Attorney of San Diego from 1999 to 2014. On the day of his abduction, Camarena was supposed to meet up with his wife, but she would never see him again. There is no hiding place for anyone who kidnaps, tortures, and murders American law enforcement, he said in a statement. The four-part cartel docuseries The Last Narc is set to premiere on Prime on May 15. The Camarena murder never made any sense to me. Flix Gallardo: I've never thought about escaping. 1985-1990#KikiCamarena #Mexico #DrugCartelFor Educational Purposes. 'Narcos: Mexico' tells the story of real-life DEA agent Kiki Camarena, who was abducted in Guadalajara in the 1980s. Caro Quintero, the former leader of the Guadalajara cartel, had since returned to drug trafficking and unleashed bloody turf battles in the northern Mexico border state of Sonora. 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