Crime USA

Drug Lord “Don Neto” Fonseca Released After Serving Sentence for DEA Agent’s Murder

Drug Lord “Don Neto” Fonseca Released After Serving Sentence for DEA Agent’s Murder
Source: AP Photo
  • PublishedApril 11, 2025

Ernesto “Don Neto” Fonseca Carrillo, a notorious drug lord convicted in the 1985 murder of US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena, has been released from prison after completing his 40-year sentence, a federal agent confirmed Wednesday, as per The AP.

Fonseca, 94, had been serving the latter part of his sentence under house arrest near Mexico City since 2016, after being transferred from prison. According to the unnamed federal agent, who spoke on condition of anonymity, Fonseca was released last weekend.

A co-founder of the infamous Guadalajara Cartel alongside Rafael Caro Quintero, Fonseca was found guilty of the kidnapping, torture, and murder of DEA agent Camarena, a crime that shocked both the US and Mexico.

His partner in crime, Caro Quintero, who was also convicted in Camarena’s murder, was recently extradited to the United States in February as part of a group of 29 cartel members sent by Mexico.

While Caro Quintero now faces justice in the US, it remains unclear if the United States will also pursue charges against Fonseca following his release.

Fonseca was initially apprehended in Puerto Vallarta back in 1985.

Michelle Larsen

Michelle Larsen is a 23-year-old journalist and editor for Wyoming Star. Michelle has covered a variety of topics on both local (crime, politics, environment, sports in the USA) and global issues (USA around the globe; Middle East tensions, European security and politics, Ukraine war, conflicts in Africa, etc.), shaping the narrative and ensuring the quality of published content on Wyoming Star, providing the readership with essential information to shape their opinion on what is happening. Michelle has also interviewed political experts on the matters unfolding on the US political landscape and those around the world to provide the readership with better understanding of these complex processes.