This file photo shows infamous Mexican drug lord Rafael Caro-Quintero held by security forces.
A Mexican judge has ordered the arrest of infamous drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero after receiving an extradition request from the US.
Caro Quintero, 60, had been sentenced to 40 years in prison back in 1985 for allegedly abducting, torturing, and killing US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent Enrique Camarena.
However, the 60-year-old was freed on August 9 based on an appeals court ruling, which cleared his release, arguing that he had been improperly tried in a federal court of state crimes.
Following the new court ruling, the US Department of Justice said it was extremely disappointed and that it found the verdict to free Caro Quintero Å“deeply troubling.”
The DEA also said it would Å“continue its efforts to ensure Caro-Quintero faces charges in the United States for the crimes he committed.”
Mexican officials said later on Wednesday that they had received a formal extradition request for Caro Quintero from the US government, adding that the plea had been approved by a Mexican federal judge.
Drug-related violence in Mexico has killed more than 70,000 people since former President Felipe Calderon launched an offensive against drug cartels in December 2006.
On July 25, Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto admitted that organized criminal gangs have gained the upper hand in some parts of the country, including the states of Michoacan, Mexico and Guerrero, despite increased military troops in those areas.
MR/HJL
Republished from: Press TV