Ernesto Fonseca Carrillo
Encyclopedia
Ernesto Fonseca Carrillo (born 1942) is a former Mexican
narcotics trafficker, operating as leader of the Guadalajara Cartel
alongside Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo
and Rafael Caro Quintero
. Fonseca had been involved with smuggling since the early 1970s, primarily in Ecuador
, later moving his operations to Mexico
.
The United States Drug Enforcement Administration
(DEA) in 1982 indicted Fonseca in a money laundering
operation in San Diego. Prior to the DEA receiving permission to wiretap the phones where Fonseca was believed to be hiding, Fonseca fled back to Mexico becoming a fugitive. On April 7, 1985, Fonseca and his security were located in Puerto Vallarta
by the Mexican Army
, his villa was surrounded and he eventually surrendered.
Fonseca was later linked to, and admitted taking part in the 1985 murder of DEA agent Enrique Camarena
, who was kidnapped and tortured by the Guadalajara cartel. Fonseca did not admit to killing Camarena and stated he was outraged that the agent was beaten. Fonseca would eventually be found guilty of the murder by the Mexico judicial system. He was ultimately convicted and sentenced to 40 years in prison. However never extradited to the United States to stand charges.
Fonseca is the uncle of former Juarez Cartel
leader, Amado Carrillo Fuentes
.
Mexican people
Mexican people refers to all persons from Mexico, a multiethnic country in North America, and/or who identify with the Mexican cultural and/or national identity....
narcotics trafficker, operating as leader of the Guadalajara Cartel
Guadalajara Cartel
The Guadalajara Cartel was a Mexican drug cartel which was formed in the 1980s by Rafael Caro Quintero, Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo and Ernesto Fonseca Carrillo in order to ship heroin and marijuana to the United States...
alongside Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo
Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo
Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo is a convicted Mexican drug lord known as "El Padrino" who in the 1980s formed the Guadalajara Cartel and became the first drug czar in Mexico to control all illegal drug traffic in Mexico and the corridors along the Mexico-U.S.A...
and Rafael Caro Quintero
Rafael Caro Quintero
Rafael Caro Quintero is an incarcerated Mexican drug lord born in La Noria, Badiraguato, Sinaloa. Quintero was a co-founder, with Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo, of the Guadalajara Cartel and Sonora Cartel. Upon of the cartels' disintegration, its leaders were incorporated mostly into the Tijuana...
. Fonseca had been involved with smuggling since the early 1970s, primarily in Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
, later moving his operations to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
.
The United States Drug Enforcement Administration
Drug Enforcement Administration
The Drug Enforcement Administration is a federal law enforcement agency under the United States Department of Justice, tasked with combating drug smuggling and use within the United States...
(DEA) in 1982 indicted Fonseca in a money laundering
Money laundering
Money laundering is the process of disguising illegal sources of money so that it looks like it came from legal sources. The methods by which money may be laundered are varied and can range in sophistication. Many regulatory and governmental authorities quote estimates each year for the amount...
operation in San Diego. Prior to the DEA receiving permission to wiretap the phones where Fonseca was believed to be hiding, Fonseca fled back to Mexico becoming a fugitive. On April 7, 1985, Fonseca and his security were located in Puerto Vallarta
Puerto Vallarta
Puerto Vallarta is a Mexican balneario resort city situated on the Pacific Ocean's Bahía de Banderas.The 2010 census reported Puerto Vallarta's population as 255,725 making it the sixth-largest city in the state of Jalisco...
by the Mexican Army
Mexican Army
The Mexican Army is the combined land and air branch and largest of the Mexican Military services; it also is known as the National Defense Army. It is famous for having been the first army to adopt and use an automatic rifle, , in 1899, and the first to issue automatic weapons as standard issue...
, his villa was surrounded and he eventually surrendered.
Fonseca was later linked to, and admitted taking part in the 1985 murder of DEA agent Enrique Camarena
Enrique Camarena
Enrique "Kiki" Camarena Salazar Enrique "Kiki" Camarena Salazar Enrique "Kiki" Camarena Salazar (Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico July 26, 1947 - c. (Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, February 9, 1985) was an undercover agent for the United States Drug Enforcement Administration who was abducted on...
, who was kidnapped and tortured by the Guadalajara cartel. Fonseca did not admit to killing Camarena and stated he was outraged that the agent was beaten. Fonseca would eventually be found guilty of the murder by the Mexico judicial system. He was ultimately convicted and sentenced to 40 years in prison. However never extradited to the United States to stand charges.
Fonseca is the uncle of former Juarez Cartel
Juárez Cartel
The Juárez Cartel , also known as the Vicente Carrillo Fuentes Organization, is a Mexican drug cartel based in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico, across the border from El Paso, Texas...
leader, Amado Carrillo Fuentes
Amado Carrillo Fuentes
Amado Carrillo Fuentes , was a Mexican drug lord who seized control of the Juárez Cartel after assassinating his boss Rafael Aguilar Guajardo. Amado Carrillo became known as "El Señor de Los Cielos" because of the large fleet of jets he used to transport drugs...
.
See also
- Guadalajara CartelGuadalajara CartelThe Guadalajara Cartel was a Mexican drug cartel which was formed in the 1980s by Rafael Caro Quintero, Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo and Ernesto Fonseca Carrillo in order to ship heroin and marijuana to the United States...
- Juarez CartelJuárez CartelThe Juárez Cartel , also known as the Vicente Carrillo Fuentes Organization, is a Mexican drug cartel based in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico, across the border from El Paso, Texas...
- United States–Mexico borderUnited States–Mexico borderThe United States–Mexico border is the international border between the United States and Mexico. It runs from Imperial Beach, California, and Tijuana, Baja California, in the west to Matamoros, Tamaulipas, and Brownsville, Texas, in the east, and traverses a variety of terrains, ranging from major...
- Mexican Drug WarMexican Drug WarThe Mexican Drug War is an ongoing armed conflict taking place among rival drug cartels who fight each other for regional control, and Mexican government forces who seek to combat drug trafficking. However, the government's principal goal has been to put down the drug-related violence that was...