Caro Quintero was previously arrested in 1992 on charges of
tax evasion, he was found not guilty, which the DEA attributes to the use of threats and bribes by Caro Quintero. While imprisoned, it is believed Caro Quintero is still running the Sonora Cartel, where he is being held on charges of
racketeering,
drug smuggling and
money laundering. Caro Quintero was arrested in December 2001 in
Los Mochis,
Sinaloa. Prior to his arrest he has repeatedly stated he is innocent of the charges and has accused the DEA of pursuing a vendetta against him for his brother
Rafael Caro Quintero's, alleged role in the death of DEA Special Agent Enrique Camarena. Miguel Caro Quintero is noted as having called into a radio station to profess his innocence, stating: "If I had a cartel, I'd have a lot of money and my brother wouldn't be there (in jail)"; he claimed to be an innocent rancher. He further stated he does not believe his brother was involved in the killing of the DEA agent. Miguel Caro Quintero was arrested in Mexico in 2001 and charged with smuggling
cocaine and
marijuana into the U.S. for over 10 years. Miguel Caro Quintero pleaded guilty and he was sentenced on February 4, 2010, in Denver to 17 years in prison for conspiracy to distribute marijuana in Arizona and racketeering.
Release and deportation On 20 July 2019, Caro Quintero was deported from the U.S. to Mexico after completing his sentence. He was deported through
El Chaparral port of entry in
Tijuana, Baja California. On the Mexican side, Caro Quintero was received by his family members. Mexican authorities did not issue an official statement regarding his status in Mexico. ==See also==