Prior to his extradition, Caro Quintero will be held in the Altiplano prison in the state of Mexico, Mexican prosecutors said. The prison is notorious for being the one from which his longtime Sinaloa cartel operative Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman escaped in 2015.
Although 69-year-old Caro Quintero is no longer considered a major player in the international drug trade, the symbolic impact of his arrest is significant.
The arrest points to significant cooperation between the United States and Mexico despite recent security conflicts, Mexican security expert Alejandro Hope said. “This type of capture is unimaginable without the cooperation of the DEA,” he said.
Mexico’s reluctance to extradite Caro Quintero to the United States for his release from prison has been a source of tension between the two countries. A US official said Washington desperately wanted him to be extradited.
“Hopefully this will begin to mend the shaky relationship between the United States and Mexico in the fight against drug trafficking,” said former DEA official Vigil.