After spending 31 years in jail, one of the assasins of KIke Camarena is now free

Original article available at ZETA
Translated by El Wachito

Francisco Javier Tejeda Jaramillo, one of the accused of the murder of DEA agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena Salazar, an active Drug Enforcement Administration officer, was released Friday morning, of October 28 from the Reclusorio Norte in Mexico City, after spending 31 years and 4 months in prison.

 The assassin of the DEA agent, started his sentence on June 11 of 1985, and at the moment of his departure from prison he claimed that he was innocent and that the Mexican government “forced him” to confess his involvement in the conspiracy to murder “Kiki” Camarena, according to Milenio newspaper.

After DEA Agent Camarena Salazar was able to infiltrate the ranks of the Guadalajara Cartel, funded by Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo, alias “El Padrino”, the druglord ordered his kidnapping in February of 1985 and agents of the extinct Direccion Federal de Seguridad, at his service, kidnapped Camarena and torture him until he died.

Others imprisoned by the murder of ”Kiki” Camarena was the Sinaloan druglord Rafael Caro Quintero, one of the main druglords of the 80s, who later on spent 29 years.

 In an interview conducted by journalist Anabel Hernandez, and later on published by Proceso newspaper, Caro Quintero assured that he didn’t kill the DEA agent, and that he was “at the wrong place at the wrong time”.

“I never heard about that case before, this is the first time… I didn’t kidnap him, I didn’t torture him and I didn’t kill him (Camarena). I was at the crime scene, that’s my only participation”, said one of the main past boss of the Guadalajara Cartel, who after he disappeared gave origin to the one in Sinaloa.

During the interview, the drug lord who is from Badiraguato, requested forgiveness from the Mexican society, to the DEA and to the American government for the murder.

“I only seek peace and I ask the Mexican society to forgive me for the errors that I committed, to the Camarena family, to the DEA, to the American Government, I ask for forgiveness. I paid my mistakes, I spent 29 years in jail”, said back then.

Quintero is accused by the DEA of being the intellectual actor of the kidnapping and the murder of Agent Camarena in 1985. Back then he was the owner of “El Bufalo”, a ranch that is close to Jimenez, Chihuahua, where authorities found tons of marijuana.

He was arrested in 1985 and processed for crimes related to drug trafficking, kidnapping and murder. The drug lord of 63 years old left prison in 2013 after completing his sentence. Later on, government entities requested apprehension orders against him again.