The long wait for justice for a historical boss
Judge Frederic Block set a date on the calendar: March 8, 2027. That day, the trial against Rafael Caro Quintero, co-founder of the extinct Guadalajara Cartel, will begin in a New York court. A court date that comes almost four decades after the crimes with which he is accused.
But that date could change. It all depends on whether the accused first reaches an agreement with the US authorities. A path that many take to avoid a long process with an uncertain ending.
A defense against the ropes
In the previous hearing this Thursday, the tension was not in the charges – which are serious – but in the conditions of the detainee. His lawyer, Mark DeMarco, launched a direct and forceful complaint.
“My client is being held in a 3.3 square meter cell. We can’t even meet with him to properly prepare the case,” DeMarco alleged.
Caro Quintero is under the so-called Special Administrative Measures: 23 hours a day of total isolation. His defense maintains that these conditions are seriously damaging his health. So far, their requests to soften them have been denied.
The boss pleaded not guilty to all charges. The most serious revolve around the kidnapping, torture and homicide of the DEA special agent, Enrique “Kiki” Camarena, in 1985. A case that marked the relationship between Mexico and the United States.
The prosecution has already taken a step back on one thing: it will not seek the death penalty. But life imprisonment remains on the table as a very real possibility.
Now it’s time to wait. The next appointment is a follow-up hearing on June 17. The road until March 2027 will be long, full of procedures and possibly more resources due to the conditions of the accused.
Meanwhile, Caro Quintero remains behind four walls, waiting for a trial that promises to reopen one of the darkest chapters of the conflict against drug trafficking.
