Warning: the following contains SPOILERS for Narcos: Mexico.
Narcos: Mexico’s Rafael “Rafa” Caro Quintero, played by actor Tenoch Huerta Mejia, was one of the founders of the now-dissolved Guadalajara Cartel, also known as La Federacion – but where is Rafa now? Back in Narcos: Mexico season 1, Rafa was the right-hand man to Diego Luna’s Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo, also known as “El Jefe de Jefes” (The Boss of Bosses). Although Rafa wasn’t the first person to develop high-THC sinsemilla or seedless marijuana in the early ‘80s, he was the first to cultivate and transport it on a grand scale. At the time, similar varieties of marijuana were also being developed in Mexico and the U.S., cultivated across small and remote plantations which yielded low quantities of varying quality, resulting in an unpredictable market.
After Gallardo gave Rafa the means to plant his marijuana on a 1,000-hectare field in the deserts of Chihuahua, La Federacion’s extensive transshipment network was able to ship enough marijuana up north to stabilize the price and availability of high-quality marijuana across the entire U.S. Combined with La Federacion’s shipments of Colombian cocaine to the U.S., it’s estimated that Rafa and his associates were making $5 billion annually, which was more than enough to bring the U.S. Drug War to Mexican shores. When the DEA busted Rafa’s field, they seized and destroyed over 10,000 tons of sinsemilla marijuana, with an estimated value of $160 million – the largest drug bust at the time. The bust was mainly due to the investigative efforts of DEA agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena, played by Michael Pena in Narcos: Mexico. Authorities believe that the kidnapping, torture, and eventual murder of Kiki in 1985 was ordered by Rafa, who sought revenge after the DEA burned his fields.
Narcos: Mexico season 1 ends with the DEA arresting Rafa and then finding Kiki’s body. And although Rafa’s last appearance as a side character in Narcos: Mexico season 2 shows him in prison, the real Rafa is actually still at large. In 1985, Rafa was arrested and sentenced to 40 years in prison, primarily for Kiki’s murder. At the time, Mexican law only allowed inmates to serve a maximum of 40 years. However, Rafa’s long trial was building towards a 199-year sentence for a variety of drug-related crimes. In 2013 – Rafa’s 28th year in prison – the Jalisco state court ruled that Rafa was improperly tried. The ruling questioned why Rafa was tried and convicted in a federal courtroom for murder, which was a crime that should’ve been tried at the state level. Although Rafa’s alleged drug trafficking activities were federal crimes, his initial sentence was for Kiki’s murder alone. This was the legal basis for Rafa’s release from prison during the early hours of August 9, 2013, a move that has outraged both U.S. and Mexican authorities.
Narcos’ next spinoff could very well feature Rafa again. Not only is Rafa still at large, authorities believe that he continues to command narcotraficos as the head of the Caborca Cartel, which is based in the Northwestern Mexican state of Sonora. Because of his past and current crimes, Rafa is listed on the FBI website as one of the agency's Top Ten Most Wanted Fugitives. In fact, the FBI is offering a reward of up to $20 million “for information leading to his arrest and/or conviction.”
Narcos: Mexico’s Rafael “Rafa” Caro Quintero is believed to be the only remaining active member of the original founders of La Federacion. Although it’s unclear where the future seasons of Netflix’s Narcos will be set next, this means that Rafa could still return to any upcoming iterations of the crime drama series. Whether or not Rafa eventually gets caught again and lands in prison, Rafa’s alleged involvement in active cartels means that his story is not over just yet.
from ScreenRant - Feed https://ift.tt/2YUj4YY
0 Comments