Caro Quintero hearing ends without plea agreement
Original reporting: Nuevo Laredo TV
What happened
Nuevo Laredo TV reported that a New York hearing ended without a plea agreement, with another appearance set for November 20 and trial scheduled for March 2027.
Reporting and context
Rafael Caro Quintero’s hearing in New York ended Wednesday without a plea agreement as discussions continued ahead of a trial scheduled for March 2027, according to Nuevo Laredo TV.
A U.S. federal judge designated the case against Caro Quintero and co-defendant Ismael Quintero Arellanes as complex, giving the parties more time to prepare. The judge scheduled another in-person appearance for November 20 and set deadlines for pretrial filings.
Defense motions are due before December 18, prosecutors’ responses before January 22 and defense replies by February 5. Nuevo Laredo TV reported that the hearing lasted about 15 minutes. Citing Mexican press reports, it said defense lawyers had been discussing a possible agreement with U.S. prosecutors that would avoid a trial.
Caro Quintero, 73, is accused of participating in the 1985 kidnapping, torture and killing of DEA agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena. The source identifies him as a founder of the former Guadalajara Cartel and reports that he remains detained in Brooklyn, where the Eastern District of New York federal court is handling the case.
He was arrested in Sinaloa in 2022 and transferred to the United States in February 2025 alongside 28 other people sought by U.S. authorities. That group included Vicente Carrillo Fuentes, identified in the report as a former Juárez Cartel leader. The accompanying photograph shows Caro Quintero’s February 27, 2025 transfer, rather than Wednesday’s hearing.
Original reporting: Nuevo Laredo TV.