By Ricardo Lezama 
The infamous former drug lord, Rafael Caro Quintero, is now free and clear from a Mexico Secretary of State attempt to overturn a ruling that favored him in 2022. The ruling prohibited Caro Quintero from being extradited to the United States over charges for which he had already been imprisoned for in Mexico. However, this was appealed by the Secretary of State, who was rebuffed by a federal court. Therefore, no extradition for Caro Quintero.
In 2013, Rafael Caro Quintero was freed after serving the majority of his 40 year sentence (28 years), but was rumored to have been involved in drug trafficking shortly after his release. After numerous diplomatic rows with the US government, the Mexican government reinitiated efforts for Caro Quintero’s capture.
After intense US pressure on Mexican’s security apparatus via diplomatic means, Rafael Caro Quintero found himself the target of another arrest attempt, but used the court system to submit a complaint about what is essentially a ‘double jeopardy’ situation. Rafael was sentenced for the death of Kiki Camerana and had complied with his jail stint once before. Therefore, the Mexican citizen could argue that he had already been tried and sentenced for the same crime in Mexico and for which the US government sought to extradite him. In Estado De Mexico, a court agreed, and now he’s cleared from extradition efforts.