The United States‘ motivation to find infamous drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero was never in doubt – hence the $20 million reward for information leading to his capture – there was less certainty about the commitment of Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who had made clear his lack of interest in pursuing drug lords.
Yet on Friday, three days after Lopez Obrador and U.S. President Joe Biden met in the White House, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s most wanted target was in Mexican custody. Read more: Infamous drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero captured by Mexican forces: reports The man allegedly responsible for the murder of a DEA agent more than three decades ago was rousted from the undergrowth by a bloodhound as Mexican marines closed in deep in the mountains of his native state of Sinaloa.
The arrest came at a heavy cost: Fourteen Mexican marines died and another was injured when a navy Blackhawk helicopter crashed during the operation.
The navy said it appeared to have been an accident, with the cause under investigation. Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office said in a statement late Friday that Caro Quintero was arrested for extradition to the U.S.