Ismael Quintero Arellanes, alias “Fierro”, appeared this Thursday before an investigative judge in the federal court in Brooklyn, New York, after being extradited, on Wednesday, from Mexico, and his preventive detention was ordered, pending trial.
Breon Peace, District Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Frank A. Tarentino III, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New York Division (DEA), announced the extradition and appearance of Arellanes, accused of participating in a large-scale drug distribution conspiracy and of using one or more firearms in connection with drug trafficking crimes. The accused was arrested in Mexico on July 15, 2022.
“The defendant was allegedly a senior lieutenant and head of security for Rafael Caro Quintero, an infamous drug lord whose violent organization has shipped thousands of kilograms of drugs to the United States for decades,” Peace said, according to a report. Statement issued by the Eastern District Attorney’s Office. “Dismantling the leadership of drug trafficking organizations that have wreaked havoc here and abroad is a top priority for our Attorney General’s Office.”
Peace thanked the DEA office in Mexico City, the US Marshals Service, the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the Government of Mexico.
“Quintero Arellanes was the enforcer of Rafael Caro Quintero’s narcotics empire, responsible for distributing drugs, violence and death throughout Mexico and the United States,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Frank Tarentino. “This extradition marks another victory for the American rule of law. by bringing to justice the drug traffickers who have caused the most damage in our communities. I congratulate the men and women who dedicated tireless hours to this investigation in pursuit of Justice.”
According to the indictment and court documents, the defendant was a high-ranking member of the transnational criminal organization Caro Quintero, led by Rafael Caro Quintero.
As the leader of the drug trafficking organization, the statement said, Caro Quintero employed numerous people, each of whom played a role in ensuring the organization’s success, including “hitmen,” or hired assassins who carried out acts of violence. in Mexico, such as murders and kidnappings, to silence potential witnesses and retaliate against anyone who provided information to security forces; security personnel for company leaders; “jefes de plaza” who controlled the company’s territories; drug carriers, and money launderers.
Quintero Arellanes, indicates the US government, was Caro Quintero’s main lieutenant and head of security. In that role, Quintero Arellanes served as Caro Quintero’s personal bodyguard, relayed messages and orders between Caro Quintero and other members of the organization to facilitate drug trafficking activities, and protected Caro Quintero to allow her to avoid his capture.
For his conduct, Quintero Arellanes is accused of participating in an international conspiracy to distribute heroin, methamphetamine and cocaine. from February 2015 to June 2018 and in an international conspiracy to distribute marijuana from January 1980 to June 2018, as well as to use firearms in connection with his drug trafficking organization.
