Ernesto Don Neto Fonseca and Rafael Caro Quintero were other cartel leaders involved. (Kent wrote his memo in late 2004 only after he became aware of the alleged corruption and then had exhausted other internal channels within DOJ for addressing the problems.). 3 power that is now No. (The 1999 charges were dismissed, according to a BBC News report, and not much is known about her life beyond that point.). When he got there it was like, 'Wow, Hes here to take care of business.' As promised, I am providing you with further information on the allegations and evidence that is already in files at OPR and OIG. On Narcos, Pena continued to "smack into walls" while he tried to bring down the cartel, eventually realizing that Cali had bought the presidency by placing Ernesto Samper in office and that the CIA and the Ambassador, his boss, knew about the high levels of corruption. After the death of money launderer Franklin Jurado (Miguel Angel Silvestre), viewers never see what happens to his widow, Christina (Kerry Bishe). In the 1970s and 1980s, Pablo Escobar held the country of Colombia in an iron grip as he and his Medelln Cartel terrorized the nation with a wave of killings and constant bombings in support of their drug trade. And he protected his enterprise with terror and murder. ", Though Narcos is a dramatization, Newman toldTHR the series is 50-50 when it comes to fiction and nonfiction, and that they stick to the true chronology of events. Even if hes only worth 5 billion dollars, those numbers are astronomical. Toft played a key role in Colombia's successful hunt last year for Pablo Escobar, the Medellin cartel chief killed in a rooftop The Bogot agent then claimed that he had no idea the Florida agents had given the informants permission to transport the cocaine. The Florida agents kept trying to revive the investigation, but Bogot agents continued to thwart it one way or another. Feistl says the depiction of the death of Miguel's son, David Rodriguez (played byArturo Castro), was accurate in the show. While the agents recounted all the details of the hunt to the writers of the show, they understood that the show would take creative liberties with it. I explained that anything with addresses, phone numbers, bank accounts, any links to different countries or in the United States were all useful.". Theyre well-versed, it was pretty neat working with them.". Kiki Camarena was born Enrique (Kiki) S. Camarena on July 26, 1947, in Mexicali, Mexico. Hes been in custody since 1989, however. He worked locally. Working with the Colombian national police and navy forces, Feistl and the DEA stormed the 10th floor of Miguel's apartment hideout and arrested him just as he was getting into a celeta to hide. Fesitl worked in Colombia for a total of 12 years. Cali moved a lot of dope and sent more to the U.S.", It remains to be seen whether Newman will take liberty with both agents' timelines to also keep Holbrook onboard, but Murphy did have this to tease on a final note: "The agent who was there when the Cali Cartel was taken down, I think youll see him in season three.". He was assigned to the DEA unit in Cartagena and was on Narcoscontinues to walk the fine line between presenting its villains as characters who are addictive to watch, but who are not glorified. One of the informants was kidnapped and murdered in Bogot where he had gone into hiding.. "Basically, our work here was done and it was time to go.". On the series, Gilberto agrees, as long as she hands over all of her assets. WebJavier Pea is a former DEA agent whose story formed part of the framework for the Netflix series Narcos. Kiki Camerena (Michael Pena), Narcos: Mexico 's main DEA agent ends up getting killed because he is too emotional. Javier Pea at the Colombian National Police Headquarters following a seizure of some of Pablo Escobars money, gold, and a .45 caliber gold-plated pistol. Jorge Salcedo, who now lives under a different name and in an unknown location with his family, has only emerged sporadically from the U.S. witness protection program. That's not a dedicated family man. They did, however, confirm when they left Colombia: After vacationing with his wife, the Murphys moved back to the United States in June 1994. Specifically, they alleged that the agents provided them with information on investigations and other law enforcement activities in Colombia.. The (Bogot) agent was unable to dissuade those involved in the investigation, and it finally took off with the assistance of the NSA, the memo states. They agreed to reveal the names to me on the condition that I not further disseminate these for the time being. DEA agent Steve Murphy joins the war on drugs in Bogota. How Feistl and his partner (whose name was changed for the show since he is still an active DEA agent) met up withSalcedo on the show was accurate. WebFormer DEA agents Steve Murphy and Javier Peas are appearing in Capturing Pablo: Conversation on Narcos at 8 p.m. Friday at City Winery in the West Loop. The traffickers eventually gave the Florida agents copies of confidential DEA reports, which the Bogot agents allegedly had handed over to the traffickers. Chris ultimately becomes the DEA contact for informant Jorge Salcedo (Matias Varela), the head of security for the Cali cartel who risks his life to help the agents capture and fry their biggest fish, Miguel Rodriguez (Francisco Denis). Specifically, Kent contends that the DEAs Office of Professional Responsibility (or OPR, essentially the agencys Internal Affairs department) and elements of DOJs Office of the Inspector General (OIG) have worked to keep a lid on the corruption charges. The Real DEA Agents of Narcos Break Down What Chilean drug chemist Cockroach brings his product to Colombian smuggler Pablo Escobar. English. She told the newspaper, Since retiring as a skin-care consultant, I can spend more time as president of the foundation. And what of the mainstream-media guardians of our liberty? He talks about how Tata had to personally go negotiate these different surrendering of assets to all the Cali Cartel traffickers. We put a lot of pressure on and it was that relentless pressure that we later learned is what really got him killed.". Worst of all, he continued to run his operation. And why, as Kent contends, is it all being covered up? Working closely with various sectors of the Colombian military, it has fielded death squads responsible for murdering thousands of Colombians. Born in 1948, Pea was raised in Texas before joining the DEA. Kiki Camarena - Wikipedia Bienvenidos en Espaol! Javier Pea and Steve Murphy sit outside of La Catedral following Pablo Escobars escape. Pedro Pascal, who played DEA agent Javier Pea is not returning to Narcos. "Because of those little subtle differences, that really made them mesh and gel and work together very well as a team. WebEnrique " Kiki " Camarena Salazar (July 26, 1947 February 9, 1985) was an American intelligence officer for the United States (DEA). To maintain his hold on the cocaine trade, Escobar had to make it clear that he would kill anyone who crossed him, including judges and government officials. La Catedral, as the prison was called, was more like a resort. While Pena was her DEA contact on the show, Feistl said he never had dealings with Christina and has "no idea" about what he involvement was after Franklin's death or her status now. The corruption allegations raised in Kents memorandum are startling, but agents in the Bogot DEA office are not the first to have been accused of participating in a narco-trafficking conspiracy. Javier Pea stands near a Colombian National Police helicopter. They changed their names but shortly after, their identities were discovered and Tata was arrested on suspicion of money laundering. The investigation was halted. 33 Ancient History Facts You Definitely Didn't Learn In School, Nurse Reunites With Doctor She Cared For As A Premature Baby In That Same Hospital 28 Years Ago, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch, Actor Pedro Pascal (left), who portrays Javier Pea (right) in the Netflix hit. Colombia extradites 7 accused of killing DEA agent They only travel a short distance, a few feet, but it strikes the body and leaves whats called powder burns. He says they had to give up everything. "She actually talked to Eric [Newman] about it and said: 'Ive just got one bone to pick with you, I would have never left my husband there!' During the second raid, Feistlsays the opposite happened if they had waited another minute, Miguel would likely still be a free man, thanks to their knack for building impossible-to-spot hiding places. He talks about how Thats how the North Valley tried to defeat, in their minds, extradition. In yet another case outlined in Kents memorandum, the second Florida DEA group was working with an informant in Colombia who claimed to have made contact with a FARC guerilla while in prison. FB.init("6fd1eea8d35df9c4bb8ba0035ab521a9"); Sign up for free email alerts list: Alyssa Diaz and Mika Camarena attend the Netflix Original Series Narcos: Mexico, special screening at LA Live in Los Angeles, CA on November 14, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. A full investigation of his allegations may well prove that the DEAs Bogot office is clean as a whistle. "Jorge was getting real-time information from the police or military while this raid is technically in progress," he says. The Hollywood Reporter is a part of Penske Media Corporation. The informant who was identified as the narcotics trafficker with several agents on his payroll was eventually brought to Florida to take a polygraph test on the allegations that he was obtaining classified documents from agents in Bogot and elsewhere., Kent says that the narco-trafficker passed the lie detector test in Florida, at which he was asked whether agents had passed him classified documents and he claimed that they hadnt. "Miguel Rodriguez ended up getting arrested in August of 1995 just six weeks later, so we were only talking and working with Jorge for the two months. (Remember that all of these allegations come strictly from the Kent memo, though law enforcement sources have corroborated much of this information on condition of anonymity.). "We had always heard that Tata sent Juan Pablo to Cali to talk to the Rodriguez brothers and say, 'Hey, its over, were sorry, can we live here without fear?'" Authorities pose with Pablo Escobar just after this death. He has been transferred to Nashville, according to sources familiar with the memorandum. Will they step up to the plate on this story, given their penchant for adhering to the standard drug-war script? "We arrested Miguel, but then it was, 'Ok, now we need to focus our attention on Jorge. So he and his partner used Salcedo's intel to approach Pallomari's wife, Patricia, at her workplace and explain that Cali had a hit out on her husband. ", Pena adds to THR, "The intrigue, the suspense it's really well done. "Both those guys said I would be a good resource to speak to, and also because of William Rempels book At the Devil's Table: The Untold Story of the Insider Who Brought Down Cali." Camarena served in the Marines for two years, was a firefighter and police officer and deputy sheriff in California, and then joined the DEA in 1974. There was also a standing bounty of $300,000 offered by Escobar for any DEA agent working in Colombia, including Pea. Thats the only thing that kept us alive.". And thats what Ive been doing up until yesterday. Narcos viewers know Chris Feistl as the hungry DEA agent who helped dismantle the season-three villains, the Cali cartel. Who was the real Kiki Camarena? The Florida agents then set up a wiretap and recorded conversations between their own informants and the other DEA informants who were tied to the leaked DEA information. The following is from a 2004 report prepared for Congress by the Congressional Research Service: Kent contends, in the memorandum, that during the wiretap, the corrupt Bogot DEA agent discusses his involvement in laundering money for the AUC. But despite being caught on tape admitting to helping the most murderous political force in the hemisphere today to launder the money from their extensive drug trafficking operations, the agent faced no punishment. Whats more, the police werent allowed anywhere near the prison. WebIn March 1985, the DEA recovered the body of Kiki Camarena, 37, who left behind Mika and three children named Enrique, Daniel, and Erik. "Ultimately, our investigation into all the Cali godfathers never really stopped until many, many years later, but I guess the point there would be Pacho Herreras surrender in September of 96," saysFeistl of the godfather who was portrayed by Alberto Ammann. Narcos recap: Descenso The recordings revealed that a narco-trafficker had indeed obtained the internal DEA information that was used to expose the Florida groups informant. There were no stipulations that he had to turn over any of his assets: He could have walked away a free man and never have had to work again. ", He continues, "One of the majors that we worked with, who we literally put our lives in his hands for an extended period of time, we later found out that he was collaborating with Los Pepes. When Pachoeventually surrendered in 1997, that's when Feistlleft Colombia. It is only a matter of time before this thing explodes. WebWhat you don't learn in Narcos: Mexico is that the Guadalajara guys thought that Kiki was the third or fourth agent they had killed -- not the first. In the beginning of season two, Connie Murphy (played by Joanna Christie) left Steve Murphy behind in Colombia. One mystery that still remains is the murder of the sicario Navegante(Juan Sebastian Calero) on Narcos. Within a few short years, the Medelln Cartel that Escobar established was pulling in millions every day. Though many viewers went into the first two seasons knowing details about Pablo Escobar, Cali was a lesser-known story. So the North Valley cartel thought, 'Hey, I can avoid extradition. Each year we issue six scholarships to high school seniors throughout the nation. That trust eventually went both ways. "So that would have put us on the ground in Cali going after these guys for two years and three or four months. After the Florida agents turned these documents over to the OPR and OIG, one of them was put on administrative leave the first sign that a cover-up was underway. This was obviously a big mistake on the part of the drug traffickers. Why is an attorney within Justice afraid to reveal the names of the DEA whistleblowers out of fear that it might jeopardize their law enforcement careers and the lives of their families? According to The San Diego Union-Tribune newspaper. DEA Agent James "Terry" Watson, Killed In Colombia, "This was the kind of story that was always in the shadows., In telling Cali's story, Feistl praised the Narcosteam and Netflix for how they portrayed the godfathers. According to El Pais, Camarenas skull, Feistl adds, "All of those things contributed to them then contacting me to give them a little bit of background on Cali.". Pacho Herrera was also still out there.". Sources told Narco News that the informant is a wealthy Colombian businessman with investments in high-tech firms and ties to narco-trafficking. When the informant approached the DEA once again with information, writes Kent, the Bogot agent that traveled to Washington, D.C., now claimed that the informant was a pedophile. The book alleges that DEA officers investigating Camarenas death knew that the drug agents murder was a joint operation between the drug cartel and the DFS, an agency with intimate ties to the CIA., Kuykendall said, The CIA didnt give a damn about anything but Cuba and the Soiets. Among other things, it was alleged that the informant (the narco-trafficker) had several agents on his payroll who provided him with classified information. A separate DEA group, also based in Florida, ran into trouble with the same DEA office in Bogot while investigating another Colombian narco-trafficking operation. [Warning: This story contains spoilers from the entire third season of Netflix's Narcos.]. His full name was Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo, and, in real life, he was a brutal and clever man called El Padrino AKA The Godfather. The agents who reported the allegations (of corruption) did so to correct wrongs committed by other members of the DEA and OPR, Kent states in the memorandum. At one point he even tells his wife, "He has to know my name!" Pea began working for the DEA in 1984 and started working in Bogota, That person (the narco-trafficker) is also a DEA informant, the memorandum states, and is believed to have been controlled by the Bogot Country Office. Narco News is supported by: Pena tells THR the realMoncadawas a "major force behind Los Pepes" and that they were told Don Bernawas an informant working with the Search Bloc, authorized by the then-Attorney General. "We never signed him up as a DEA informant, but he was at the base and I could always tell there was something weird," he says, adding that after Escobar's death, Don Berna went on to become a trafficker and is now in prison in the United States. Kiki Camarena Death: The Real Story of the DEA At one point, it was estimated that he was worth more than $25 billion. We had to focus on trying to locate and approach Giullermo Pallomari, because we needed him as a witness. Web(Warning: Graphic details of torture and abuse) Amazon Prime's 'The Last Narc' details the horrific account of DEA agent Enrique S "Kiki" Camarena Salazar's abduction and murder by the Mexican drug lords at Guadalajara and the ensuing investigation that followed. Judy Moncada (Cristina Umana) was a major player in the alliance of enemies who formed to take down Escobar, until her own partners took her out. Below, Feistlanswers some of THR's most burning questions about the stranger-than-fiction, real-life events that played out on the season. The drug war is supposed to follow a very clear script: According to the official screenwriters, the U.S. justice system is pitted against corrupt players in foreign countries who are trying to flood American streets with illicit drugs. Pena left in October 1994. In 87 to 89, they really exploited that Mexican corridor and it was because of NAFTA and the Juarez cartel that they were able to push a lot of cocaine into Mexico on those huge 747 flights theyd land in the desert and offload six, eight, 10 tons or more of cocaine and then bring back these huge cash shipments to Cali. That was home, where he felt comfortable and knew people. WebHe joined the DEA in 1987 and started working in Miami, where he stayed for four years, before being transferred to Bogot, Colombia. Netflix Narcos real-life DEA agents Steve Murphy and "Theres some artistic licenses, but the timeline is accurate.". It was just revenge because of all the cops he had killed, along with all those innocent people. ]", Connie, whom Steve calls "one of the bravest women I've ever met," actually stayed at their home in Bogota while the agent spent most of the 18 months covered on season two hunting Escobar from Medellin. Steve Murphy - Narcos, Wife & Javier Pena - Biography But that was probably the most interesting thing of that book. He was a Marine. JESUS ABAD-EL COLOMBIANO/AFP/Getty Images. The group is widely recognized to be involved in narco-trafficking and arms dealing at the highest levels. "I was able to get a phone number for Jorge and I called him one day and I basically said, 'Hey, I understand you might want to do the right thing and cooperate with us.' Agents contacted the Bogot Country Office to discuss the informants planned travel and their bringing cocaine out of Colombia infused in acrylic, writes Kent. "It had a big impact and resonated," he says. Informants tipped off the Florida agents that that this drug ring had developed an ingenious method for smuggling cocaine into the United States, a method that seems to have been lifted right out of the script of the drug-war movie Traffic. Kents memorandum contains some of the most serious allegations ever raised against U.S. antinarcotics officers: that DEA agents on the front lines of the drug war in Colombia are on drug traffickers payrolls, complicit in the murders of informants who knew too much, and, most startlingly, directly involved in helping Colombias infamous rightwing paramilitary death squads to launder drug money. ", "We went from Pinzon, who was basically an obstacle for us, toMartinez. The agents in the Florida DEA office also tried to set up a sting targeting the allegedly corrupt agents from Bogot and Washington, D.C. The meeting (the sting) was called off when it was learned the agents likely knew of the trap, the memorandum states. Of Juan Pablo's theory that the shot was self-inflicted with Escobar's semiautomatic pistol, which was found next to his body, Murphy explains:"I saw Pablo up close and I have photographs of him. "Pacho was very young when they sent him to New York to set up that distribution outlet there. For how much longer will nations in Latin America and around the world accept U.S. drug warriors imposing presence in their lands, when those same agents and bureaucrats get neck-deep in the very drug trade they are supposedly trying to wipe out, with complete impunity and protection from their superiors back home? Narcos: Mexico shows the growth of the Guadalajara Cartel, pieced together by Felix Gallardo out of warring factions. But the Pea of the show was also depicted as an agent not above breaking the law in order to complete his mission. In addition, Kents request to send the Bogot corruption allegations to the Justice Departments Public Integrity Section was denied, and his memorandum deep-sixed until now. In order to get the third season story right, Narcos enlisted the real Chris Feistlto serve as a consultant. The finale of the second season re-created the kingpin's final moments during a rooftop shootout in Medellin, Colombia. Ambassador Michael Furthermore, being in prison gave Escobar protection from his enemies and allowed him to avoid a much-feared extradition to the U.S. But the truth, like water, always brings the scum to the surface. The Bogot agent was called on his claim and could not provide any evidence. The agent then switched tactics, arguing that the DEA could not work with the informant because the FARC might end up with the communications equipment. He started to smuggle car stereos and home appliances. Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day, Inside the business of TV with breaking news, expert analysis and showrunner interviews. ", Pena calls it ironic that he wasn't in Medellin the day they caught Escobar, but says it doesn't matter because justice was served. All Rights Reserved. (The pair also have not one but two adopted daughters from Colombia. "We kept on getting disappointed and it wasn't worth the grief., So the pair blew off forthcoming offers, until they met with those who would become the creators of Narcos. "The violence thats depicted is all true: Pablo and his people are some of the most violent people to ever walk this earth," he said about experiencing similar feelings. The real Chris Feistl discusses what is true and what is fiction, and sheds insight on Season 4. Kent alleges that one of the corrupt agents from Bogot was caught on a wiretap some time in 2004 discussing criminal activity related to the huge right-wing paramilitary group known as the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC in its Spanish initials). The cracks in the lid DEA and OPR has attempted to place on this problem are getting bigger. And in this case, the dam holding back the truth in the so-called war on drugs may be close to breaking. "Javier and I were manning the 1-800 number but people would call in with all kinds of tips because there was a $500 reward on the table," he says. "The MedellinCartel was the Wild Wild West and Cali was businesslike," explains Pena. During that 18 month period, there were 143 Colombian National Police Officers killed as a direct result of the manhunt for Escobar. Search Bloc targeted people close to Escobar and turned them into informants. The narco-traffickers, crooked cops, and thieving politicians in the drug war are always over there, in Latin America, and elsewhere, and U.S. law enforcers and government officials are always the good guys battling these forces of evil. Feistlarrived in Cali mid-1994, about six months after Pablo Escobar was gunned down and Cali had taken over. As the informant left that meeting, he was murdered, Kent states. "There were a number of ways that they came to me," Feistltells The Hollywood Reporter in a lengthy and informative chat about his real-life experience and how it was portrayed on the show. Narcos: Real DEA Agent Chris Feistl on What Season 3 Pablo Escobar was surrounded in the middle of fin' nowhere. Just his appearance and demeanor commands respect. DEA Javier Pea wasnt going to take the silver. She lived like a queen.". But this gave Javier Pea and Search Bloc (with an assist from a vigilante group known as Los Pepes) their chance to finally bring Pablo Escobar down for real. ", As for his portrayal, Feistl called Stahl-David a perfectionist. He claims that the nail in that coffin was driven in by OPR after it discovered that an OIG agent was investigating the Bogot corruption and related money laundering operation, In June 2004, OPR and DEA, the two agencies embarrassed by the prior allegations (involving the Bogot agents) and likely to come under tremendous scrutiny for their own actions in response, demanded that my case agent turn all of the (investigation) information over to OPR, Kent states in the memorandum. Six ELN members and associates charged with narco-terrorism and international cocaine distribution conspiracy Drug Enforcement Administration Daniel C. Comeaux Special Agent in Charge Houston @DEAHoustonDiv September 21, 2020 Contact: Sally M. Sparks Phone Number: (713) 693-3329 For Immediate Release Narcos In fact, says Kent, the agent was essentially promoted: That call has been documented by the DEA and that agent is now in charge of numerous narcotics and money laundering investigations., Kent, in the memorandum, also alleges that DOJ officials shut down a money laundering investigation because they discovered that it was linked to the alleged DEA corruption in Bogot. Pena was called away for a daylong assignment, but Murphy was on the scene the day they caught Escobar. "Juan Pablo writes that they were trumped-up charges and says they were dismissed." It wasnt going after dope, it wasnt going after money. The document mirrored information the DEA group in Florida provided the corrupt agents in Bogot previously.. Michael Pea plays DEA Agent Enrique Kiki Camarena in Season 1 of Narcos: Mexico. He had a living room, a kitchen in one room, and the other consisted of a master bedroom and an office combination. According to El Pais, Camarenas skull, jaw, nose and cheekbones were crushed with a tire iron. The real DEA agents behind 'Narcos' - Guide Something Feistl helped them with were the small details, such as the mannerisms and personalities of each. The problem is the wall was so thick that we broke two or three drill bits and we ran out of drill bits. Though Narcos is a fictionalized version of events,showrunner Eric Newman has always said the chronology is on point. More From Oprah Daily The next installment of Narcos: Mexico picks up in 1985, after Camarena's death has changed everything for the DEA agents in Mexico, for the Guadalajara Cartel, and for the show itself. Fed up with the danger, she took the pair's adopted daughter and abruptly flew back to the United States. Pena had a long How would I go into the building and what kind of papers would be of interest? In real life, this event caused the US to hit back hard in what came to be known as "Operation Leyenda". He also claimed that one of the targets of the FARC-related investigation was not involved in narco-trafficking even though the Bogot office had previously identified that individual as a narco-trafficker.
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