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Notorious Drug Lord Ernesto 'Don Neto' Fonseca Released After 40-Year Sentence

Fonseca, convicted for the 1985 murder of DEA agent Enrique 'Kiki' Camarena, was freed from confinement, leaving uncertainty over potential U.S. extradition.

FILE - U.S. Marine Corps pallbearers carry the casket holding the body of slain U.S. Drug Enforcement agent Enrique Camarena after it arrived at North Island Naval Air Station, in San Diego, March 8, 1985. (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi, File)
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Overview

  • Ernesto 'Don Neto' Fonseca Carrillo, co-founder of the Guadalajara Cartel, was released after completing a 40-year sentence for the 1985 murder of DEA agent Enrique 'Kiki' Camarena.
  • Fonseca, 94, had been under home confinement outside Mexico City since 2016 following his transfer from prison due to health concerns.
  • DEA agent Camarena was abducted, tortured, and murdered in 1985, a pivotal event that intensified U.S.-Mexico cooperation against drug cartels.
  • Fonseca remains listed as a fugitive on the DEA website for the kidnapping and murder of a federal agent, but it is unclear if U.S. authorities will seek his extradition.
  • This development follows February's high-profile extradition of Rafael Caro Quintero, another Guadalajara Cartel co-founder, to the United States.