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Family of Slain DEA Agent Kiki Camarena Sues Sinaloa Cartel Under U.S. Anti-Terrorism Laws

The lawsuit, enabled by the Sinaloa Cartel's designation as a foreign terrorist organization, seeks damages for Camarena's 1985 kidnapping, torture, and murder.

Enrique "Kiki" Camarena
Former top Mexican drug cartel boss, Rafael Caro Quintero, under custody at the "Puente Grande" prison in Guadalajara on January 29, 2005.
U.S. Marine Corps pallbearers carry the casket holding the body of slain U.S. Drug Enforcement agent Enrique Camarena Salazar after it arrived at North Island Naval Air Station, in San Diego, Calif., on March 8, 1985.

Overview

  • The lawsuit, filed in California federal court, names the Sinaloa Cartel and three alleged leaders—Rafael Caro-Quintero, Ernesto Fonseca-Carrillo, and Miguel Angel Felix-Gallardo—as defendants.
  • President Trump's January 2025 designation of the Sinaloa Cartel as a foreign terrorist organization allowed the family to pursue legal action under the Anti-Terrorism Act.
  • Caro-Quintero, extradited to the U.S. in February 2025, faces charges including murder conspiracy and drug trafficking; the other defendants remain in Mexico under house arrest.
  • The family is seeking compensatory, punitive, and treble damages for international terrorism, wrongful death, and emotional distress tied to the 1985 murder.
  • This case marks the first use of the Anti-Terrorism Act against a Mexican drug cartel, potentially setting a precedent for future legal actions.