EP68: Death of a DEA Agent in Mexico

The brutal torture and murder of six innocent Americans in Guadalajara

In 1984, the Guadalajara drug cartel was after American blood. The DEA along with Mexican police had destroyed one of their largest marijuana plantations. In revenge for the bust, they kidnapped, raped, and tortured four American Jehovah Witnesses who inadvertently knocked on their door. A month later, the cartel kingpins tortured and murdered two American tourists who walked into the seafood restaurant where they were dining. But it was when they kidnapped, tortured, and murdered DEA Agent Enrique Camarena, that their murderous rampage finally came to an end.

In 1983, DEA Agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena worked in a resident office in Guadalajara, Mexico. Together with Mexican pilot Alfredo Zavala, he did aerial surveillance of the Mexican desert looking for marijuana plantations.

At the time, the Guadalajara drug cartel was made up of three kingpins: Miguel Felix, Ernesto Fonseca, and Rafael Caro Quintero.

As a result of Kiki Camarena and Alfredo Zavala’s efforts, the United States and Mexican governments raided Rancho Bufalo, burning 2500 acres for the Guadalajara cartel’s marijuana crops. This was a huge blow to the cartel, and they were out for American blood.

The Disappearance of Four American Jehovah’s Witnesses in Guadalajara

A month after the destruction of Rancho Bufalo, four American Jehovah’s Witnesses, Dennis and Rose Carlson and Patricia and Benjamin Macarenas, were going door-to-door spreading their faith in an upper-middle-class neighborhood of Guadalajara. They inadvertently knocked on the door of druglord Ernesto Fonseca, who became convinced they were undercover DEA agents. He instructed his henchman, El Chapo, to kidnap them.

They were never seen or heard from again. It was only recently that the truth of their brutal deaths was revealed.

The Disappearance of American Tourists John Walker & Alberto Radelat in Guadalajara

A month after the four American Jehovah’s Witnesses disappeared, two American tourists, John Walker and Alberto Radelat, went to have a nice dinner at a seafood restaurant. Unbeknownst to them, the Guadalajara Cartel had reserved the restaurant for a meeting and overheard their American accents. Paranoid John Walker and Alberto Radelat were working with the DEA, El Chapo, Rafael Caro Quintero, and other cartel members tortured and murdered the men.

The Torture & Murder of Enrique Camarena

In February of 1984, DEA Agent Enrique Camarena left the US Consults office around 2:00 pm to meet his wife Mika for lunch at her favorite restaurant. He never showed up. For the next 36 hours, he and Alfredo Zavalar were brutally tortured by the Guadalajara drug cartel. This is their story.