US prosecutors weigh death penalty for alleged Mexican drug lord Caro Quintero

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By Luc Cohen

NEW YORK (Reuters) – The U.S. government said on Wednesday it may seek the death penalty for alleged Mexican drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero, following his surprise expulsion from Mexico last month to face sweeping drug charges.

At a hearing in Brooklyn federal court, U.S. District Judge Frederic Block asked a prosecutor whether capital punishment was a possibility for Caro Quintero, 72, who has pleaded not guilty to four counts including continuing criminal enterprise and cocaine importation conspiracy.

“It is a possibility,” the prosecutor Saritha Komatireddy responded. “The decision has not yet been made, but we are going through the process.” 

Block appointed Elizabeth Macedonio, a lawyer specializing in death penalty cases, to help defend Caro Quintero, joining trial lawyer Michael Vitaliano.

He scheduled another hearing for June 25, to allow prosecutors sufficient time to decide what penalty to seek. They would need authorization from Attorney General Pam Bondi to seek the death penalty.

Caro Quintero spent 28 years in prison in Mexico after being convicted of the 1985 murder of former U.S. drug enforcement agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena, one of the most notorious killings in Mexico’s narcotics wars.

He has denied involvement, and was released in 2013 on a technicality. Mexican authorities recaptured him in 2022 as the U.S. sought his extradition. 

Mexican authorities expelled Caro Quintero last month as part of a surprise handover by Mexico of 29 alleged kingpins.

The violent story of the capo and murdered DEA agent featured prominently in Mexico’s 2018 “Narcos Mexico” series.   

(Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York; Editing by Bill Berkrot)