United States Department of Justice - Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Government
End of Watch: Saturday, February 9, 1985
Age: 37
Tour of Duty: 11 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Assault
Date of Incident: February 7, 1985
Weapon Used: Person
Suspect Info: Sentenced to 37 years
Special Agent Enrique Camarena was abducted and murdered by drug traffickers while working an undercover assignment in Mexico on February 7th, 1985. He was tortured until he died two days later. His body was not located until March 5th, 1985.
One of the subjects who participated in his torture and murder was ordered released by a 9th Circuit Court judge who ruled that the man had been arrested illegally. The suspect had been captured by bounty hunters in Mexico, taken to El Paso, Texas, and turned over to the DEA. A second subject was acquitted and four others were found guilty and sentenced to serve time in Mexico.
In August 2017 the leader of the Guadalajara Cartel was convicted of Agent Camarena's murder and sentenced to 37 years in prison.
Agent Camarena was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran. He had served with the DEA for 11 years and had previously served with the Calexico Police Department and Imperial County Sheriff's Department in California. He is survived by his wife and three children. His remains were cremated and scattered over Mt. Signal between Mexico and the United States.