By Steve Neavling
The family of a DEA agent killed in Mexico 40 years ago filed a civil lawsuit Thursday in San Diego federal court, seeking to hold leaders of the Guadalajara Cartel responsible under international terrorism laws.
In the suit, the relatives of DEA agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena say he and Mexican pilot Alfredo Zavala-Avelar were abducted outside the U.S. Consulate in Guadalajara in 1985, then tortured and killed by cartel members over several days, Courthouse News Service reports.
“Kiki was kidnapped, tortured, and murdered in retaliation for the DEA’s investigation and destruction of the cartel’s marijuana operation at the Buffalo ranch,” the complaint states.
The family alleges the violence was meant to derail law enforcement efforts in both the U.S. and Mexico.
The lawsuit names three former cartel leaders — Rafael Caro-Quintero, Ernesto Fonseca-Carrillo, and Miguel Angel Felix-Gallardo — as defendants. All three were convicted in Mexico for drug trafficking and involvement in Camarena’s death.
The family argues the attack amounted to an act of international terrorism and should fall under U.S. anti-terrorism laws. They point to the Trump administration’s 2019 designation of several Latin American cartels, including the Sinaloa Cartel, as foreign terrorist organizations.
According to the complaint, after the original Guadalajara Cartel fractured, Caro-Quintero continued to wield influence within the Sinaloa Cartel alongside Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán. The Treasury Department has identified both cartels as part of the same criminal organization.
“The defendants’ actions were meant to intimidate civilian populations and influence U.S. and Mexican government policy through violence,” the complaint states.
Caro-Quintero was freed from prison in 2013 after a Mexican court overturned his conviction, but the ruling was later reversed. He spent nearly a decade as a fugitive before his capture. Last month, he was extradited to the U.S. along with 28 other accused traffickers.
He has pleaded not guilty in federal court in New York to several charges, including leading a criminal enterprise, conspiring to distribute narcotics internationally, and firearms offenses tied to drug trafficking.
Several members of Camarena’s family, including his widow, live in Southern California and filed the case in the Southern District.
“Kiki gave his life trying to stop the violence and drugs these cartels brought into our communities,” said Myrna Camarena, his sister. “We’ve lived with the pain of his loss for decades, but also with his bravery.”
She praised President Trump’s push to classify cartels as terrorist organizations and the recent extradition of Caro-Quintero, saying it gives the family a chance to seek justice in a U.S. courtroom.
“This fight is for Kiki, for our family, and for every family torn apart by these ruthless criminals,” she said. “Justice is long overdue.”
The family is requesting damages and a jury trial.
