The United States courts have upheld the application of extreme isolation measures to Rafael Caro Quintero, arguing that the Mexican drug lord managed to maintain his criminal operations from prison thanks to the collaboration of family members, particularly his brother Miguel Ángel Caro Quintero.
Rafael Caro Quintero, former leader of the Guadalajara Cartel and a central figure in Mexican drug trafficking, is facing charges in New York under strict confinement conditions following his surrender to the US last February.
According to court documents filed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, the Mexican national is considered a persistent risk to public safety and the integrity of judicial proceedings even while incarcerated. The US government maintains there is evidence that Caro Quintero delegated and continued to direct illicit activities from prisons through family ties.
The prosecutor in the case, Joseph Nocella, emphasized in his court filing that the defendant has “a documented history of criminal operations in custody,” indicating his ability to send instructions to outside collaborators to maintain the structure and finances of his drug trafficking network.
