Mexican Drug Kingpin Rafael Caro Quintero Gets Freedom

Mexican officials said a court ordered the release of infamous drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero after 28 years in prison, overturning his conviction for the 1985 kidnap and killing of a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent Enrique Camarena.

A court in Mexico released the former member of the Guadalajara cartel after it ruled that he should have been tried at state level rather than on federal level.

The U.S. Justice Department has said it is “extremely disappointed” by the decision to free Quintero and has made it clear it has a “continued interest” in securing his extradition to the United States.