Mexican President Says She Has 'No Knowledge' Of U.S. Extradition Request For Drug Lord Linked To Murder of DEA Agent

An infamous Mexican drug lord convicted in the 1985 killing of a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has been released from prison after serving a 40-year sentence. He could now be wanted by the U.S., as the DEA lists him as a "dangerous fugitive."

Ernesto Fonseca Carrillo, also known as "Don Neto," was convicted for his role in the kidnapping, torture and murder of DEA agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena and Mexican pilot Alfredo Zavala four decades ago.

However, when asked if "Don Neto" was being requested for extradition by the U.S., Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said 10 that she has "no knowledge" of any current requests from U.S. agencies for him.

"No, I have no knowledge that the DEA is requesting anything like that, or any other U.S. agency," Sheinbaum told reporters on Thursday. "Today I asked during the cabinet meeting, and what they told me is that his sentence has been served...I have no knowledge that any agency is pursuing the matter; we asked and that's what they told us," she added.

On April 9, an unnamed federal agent that spoke to the Associated Press confirmed the release of the 95-year-old drug lord.

Despite reports suggesting American agencies were seeking to complete Fonseca Carrillo's extradition, Sheinbaum reiterated to reporters that his release was due to him completing his sentence and that, to her knowledge, no new actions are being taken by the U.S.

The release of "Don Neto" was first reported by Mexican outlet Reforma. Citing federal sources, the outlet detailed that the 95-year-old drug lord completed his sentence on April 5, and that "there was nothing else left to fulfill," meaning he had no pending investigations at the state or federal level.

Fonseca Carrillo was granted house arrest in 2016, and since then, he served the remainder of his sentence in a residential area of the municipality of Atizapán de Zaragoza, in the State of Mexico.

The murder of Enrique "Kiki" Camarena

The murder of DEA agent Camarena was brought back to the public eye in February when Mexico extradited 29 high-profile prisoners to the U.S., including Rafael Caro Quintero, another drug lord linked to Camarena's murder.

Besides receiving a multitude of charges, including conspiracy to murder, Caro Quintero is being sued by Camarena's family —who also accuse Fonseca Carrillo and Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo— for being responsible of the agent's death.

Camarena, a Mexican-born U.S. naturalized citizen, managed to infiltrate the Guadalajara cartel, one of the first transnational criminal organizations in the country. After tipping off U.S. and Mexican authorities about the location of key cartel drug fields, including a 2,500-acre plantation in Chihuahua, Camarena was kidnapped in Guadalajara in 1985. He was tortured for over 30 hours and finally murdered. His body later found in a rural area in Michoacán.