He described this season as being "50 to 60 percent accurate,"but for serialized drama's sake, the timing had to be condensed. There were even people I worked with in DEA that didnt know much about Cali because everything was always focused and publicized with Pablo and Medellin," says Feistl. WebIn the first season, ambitious DEA agent Kiki Camarena was killed for coming in too hard on the cartels. The informants were imprisoned for nine months while the accusations flew back and forth. 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. 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. When we got together, it made the perfect storm," he says. "[My partner] and I were looking for a way into the cartel and Jorge was looking for a way out of the cartel. "It was a good day for not only DEA but also for the Colombian government, but it was short-lived because we realized at that point we still had a lot of work to do," he says. He was raised in California, graduating from Calexico High School in Calexico, California in 1966. "Colonels Carrillo and Pinzon are both based on Colonel Hugo Martinez," Newman has explained. The bathroom had its own jacuzzi. He is telling the story of his father,DEA agent Enrique Camarena and story of #RedRibbonWeek #inspiringyoungminds Thanks for your fathers and your service to our communities .#msasdonaroll pic.twitter.com/2rAEDOOVgM, Principal Serce (@mr_serce) October 23, 2018, He told NBC San Diego of his dad, You know, I think about him every day. Then, learn about the bloody campaign that Escobar and Los Extraditables waged against Colombias extradition treaty with the United States. 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. A document obtained recently by Narco News makes those questions more than hypothetical queries. "She was benefiting from all the illegal things her husband was doing," he says about Tata, who was 15 when she married 24-year-old Pablo. , Click here for more from Narco News on The Bogot Connection, A document obtained recently by Narco News, narco-trafficking and arms dealing at the highest levels, Enter the NarcoSphere to comment on this article. 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.". All Rights Reserved. Soon, he graduated to stealing cars and sanding down tombstones from the local cemetery to resell them. 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. She is pregnant throughout part of the show and living with him in Mexico with their family while his job increases in danger. Washington, 26 abr. He was gunned down by a North Valley member. Though some mystery remains around the deaths of the latter two (Chepe was believed to have been killed in a police shootout until a memoir detailed otherwise) the show shared its interpretations of the truth in its depictions. In it, Kent raised a series of corruption allegations centering on the DEAs office in Bogot. Indirectly, they (the CIA) have got to take some of the blame. He alleged the CIA protected the DFS for decades, and stated, The DFS just got out of hand., Kiki Camarena Death: The Real Story of the DEA Agents Murder, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. "We were always firm believers that the way you catch these kingpins is through human assets and sources. ", 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. I saw the bullet hole in the side of Pablos head, I saw no signs whatsoever of the powder burns on his face. Powered by. ", Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day, Inside the business of TV with breaking news, expert analysis and showrunner interviews. "After Escobar is killed, maybe two or three years later, we find out the real truth that one of our officers at the Search Bloc was hand-in-hand with Los Pepes. 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. I wanted to find out what made the guy tick, and I did a lot of research and thank God I spoke with Mika (Camarenas wife), he told Newsweek. She told the newspaper, Since retiring as a skin-care consultant, I can spend more time as president of the foundation. He was a police officer, and then he became part of the DEA. Ambassador Michael WebPortuguese products available Online we mail to all lower 48 states. He decided not to become a police officer because his dad thought it was too dangerous, according to NBC San Diego, which quoted him as saying, I grab a little bit from one supervisor, I grab a little bit from another, and added on to me to become who I am today., Judge Enrique Camarena Jr. is speaking to @MSASanDiego 6th Graders. La Catedral, as the prison was called, was more like a resort. The kidnappings were a common things. The Hollywood Reporter is a part of Penske Media Corporation. The previous seasons focused on the rise and fall of Pablo Escobar and the Cali Cartel. WebJavier Pena (1958-) was an American Drug Enforcement Agency agent and the partner of Steve Murphy. Today, Fonseca is on house arrest, and Caro Quintera was released from prison in 2013 on a legal technicality and is being sought by the U.S. Camarenas death changed the face of Mexican drug cartels. She dedicates her time to promoting drug awareness in schools and communities nationwide.. Feistl says the depiction of the death of Miguel's son, David Rodriguez (played byArturo Castro), was accurate in the show. In Narcos, he was involved in the DEA's taking down the Cali cartel, which is contrary to what actually happened in real life. "Juan Pablo writes that they were trumped-up charges and says they were dismissed." In real life, his name was Cesar Yusti. "A lot of people didnt know about the Cali cartel. Javier Pea is a DEA agent who worked alongside Steve Murphy during their hunt for Pablo Escobar. "Its very dangerous to draw a picture of someone as inhuman," he has said. One mystery that still remains is the murder of the sicario Navegante(Juan Sebastian Calero) on Narcos. The money goes toward scholarships. Of course, with that kind of money came problems. That was the last time anyone but his kidnappers would see him alive, reveals the DEA, adding that he likely died two days later. But through it all, Escobar always seemed to stay one step ahead. Pablo Escobar is then shown in the wilderness, where a group of Colombian police who are frozen with fear simply let him pass. He was shot six or eight times, I believe.". It was ironic and very coincidental that he was killed that day that we went to pick up Pallomari and bring him to Bogota.". During that 18 month period, there were 143 Colombian National Police Officers killed as a direct result of the manhunt for Escobar. Feistl's history in Colombia provides some hints as to what the show would tackle if it stayed in Colombia, namely by turning its eye to the No. And thats what Ive been doing up until yesterday. The DEA agents in Florida looked further into the source of that information and followed the trail to several other DEA informants. The Netflix series Narcos: Mexico centers around a Mexican drug cartels murder and torture of Kiki Camarena, a federal narcotics agent for the United States. Agent Javier Pea of Texas was assigned by the DEA to join in the hunt for Pablo Escobar. There were many hardworking, honest Colombian national police and military personnel that we worked with, but often times that information has to be briefed up and you never know who is hearing or receiving that information. In the end, Javier Pea and his team tracked Escobar down in his hometown of Medelln in 1993 through use of technology that allowed them to trace his phone calls. 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. How much of 'Narcos' Season 3 really happened? 2023 The Hollywood Reporter, LLC. Feistl explains that they were looking for one of the few insiders who had precise intelligence about the Cali godfathers and their whereabouts, and Salcedo saw the writing on the wall and was looking to get his family to safety. 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. According to El Pais, Camarenas skull, (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.). WebThe DEA Agent Has A Compelling Real Life Story Entertainment Agent Pea Is Just Like His 'Narcos' Character IRL by Caroline Gerdes Sep. 16, 2015 While watching the newest "Because of those little subtle differences, that really made them mesh and gel and work together very well as a team. ]", 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. Thats how the North Valley tried to defeat, in their minds, extradition. 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. 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. Javier had been there three years before me. Those agents have additional evidence not in the files maintained by OPR and OIG. The recordings revealed that a narco-trafficker had indeed obtained the internal DEA information that was used to expose the Florida groups informant. "As long as it would have taken us to get a sledgehammer and knock the wall down, so two or three minutes, thats how far away we were on the initial raid to arresting Miguel," he says. ", So when Salcedo's friend was arrested in Operation Cornerstone (mentioned on the show), Feistl says they had a mutual friend to link them up. Kiki Camarena, the DEA agent that Dr. Delgado is accused of helping torture in Narcos Mexico Season 2. Steve Murphy/Texas MonthlyJavier Pea and Steve Murphy sit outside of La Catedral following Pablo Escobars escape. WebOne mystery that still remains is the murder of the sicario Navegante (Juan Sebastian Calero) on Narcos. WebEnrique " Kiki " Camarena Salazar (July 26, 1947 February 9, 1985) was an American intelligence officer for the United States (DEA). The end of season three sets the show on track to follow the drug war to the next "real" threat of Mexico. Betrayed by his own? Feistl adds, "All of those things contributed to them then contacting me to give them a little bit of background on Cali.". Un exagente de la Agencia Antidrogas de Estados Unidos (DEA) expuso este mircoles en el Congreso de EE.UU. 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. In between, he worked in Miami against Colombian traffickers and in Washington, D.C., in the Mexico and Central America section targeting Mexican groups between 1997 and 1999. WebWatson, a 43-year-old Louisiana native, was killed after being dragged out of a taxi on his way home from a Bogot restaurant late last Thursday night after watching the NBA So how closely does the Netflix version of Javier Pea match up to the real one? ", The real leader of the Search Bloc, Hugo Martinez, is still alive today. "Pacho was very young when they sent him to New York to set up that distribution outlet there. As he recalled: I got to Colombia in 88, at the height of the Escobar search. [Warning: This story contains spoilers from the second season of Narcos.]. Ernesto Don Neto Fonseca and Rafael Caro Quintero were other cartel leaders involved. The book tells the story of Salcedo, who is now in U.S. witness protection, and Feistlalso served as a source. 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. They only travel a short distance, a few feet, but it strikes the body and leaves whats called powder burns. "That's pretty accurate," Pena says of the blunder. He talks about how But the DEA had nothing to do with killing Yusti. He did so by making a videotape of a conversation he then had with a member of the FARC in jail in which they discussed their desire for him to provide them with communications equipment. 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. For years in the 1980s, Escobar made untold billions off trafficking cocaine into the United States from his native Colombia. 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. They were more sophisticated and very different cartels. WebMurder of DEA agent Enrique Camarena was dark moment in 1980s drug war Killed by a cartel. At one point, it was estimated that he was worth more than $25 billion. WebBest Known For: DEA agents Steve Murphy and Javier Pena were lead investigators in the manhunt for Colombian drug kingpin Pablo Escobar. Camarena opens the show in a scene that shows hes been abducted. "It was revenge for a person that killed thousands and thousands of innocent civilians and police officers, including a couple of my good friends.". 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. Each murder was preceded by a request for their identity by an agent in Bogot.. After they did catch Miguel, Salcedo, once again to Feistl's surprise, said he wasn't leaving until he helped them approach Pallomari, the accountant and future key witness in dismantling Cali corruption. I dont believe what he says, so I dont know if its true or not. WebA Drug Enforcement Administration agent was killed in an apparent robbery attempt in Colombia, the agency announced Friday. (You can see photos of the real people behind the Narcos: Mexico characters here.) We worked primarily with the police, and they were the guys that we trusted with our lives. Murphy explained that Pea had just been called away on other DEA business: Sure enough, hes on his way to the airport when they killed Escobar. On the show, Feistl's inner torture of catching Miguel but also keeping Salcedo's"rat" identity a secret is something that is well-captured. BOGOTA, Colombia A DEA agent has died in an apparent robbery attempt in Colombia, U.S. WebA location manager for "Narcos" was found shot to death after scouting out a rural part of Mexico to film the Netflix series' next season. Dont get involved and stay away from this kind of life. 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. '", He continues, "In his book, he says they were trying to negotiate with the Rodriguezbrothers, who were very upset by the war, and what they wanted was his assets. He was assigned to the DEA unit in Cartagena and was on Just his appearance and demeanor commands respect. With the walls closing in and only his driver, Limon (Leynar Gomez), left alive, he knocks on the elder Escobar's door and enjoys an extended stay with his estranged parent. Once the targets were identified as being part of the drug ring, they began to cooperate with the Florida-based agents. What happens if proof emerges that it is the U.S. justice system that is corrupt? In March 1985, the DEA recovered the body of Kiki Camarena, 37, who left behind Mika and three children named Enrique, Daniel, and Erik. As a result, the Florida agents decided to have the informants come to the United States with a sample of the acrylic, so they could walk DEAs chemists through the extraction process. What's the real story of the death of Kiki Camarena? English. Worst of all, he continued to run his operation. 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. Pea began working for the DEA in 1984 and started working in Bogota, 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. Getty ImagesActors Pedro Pascal and Boyd Holbrook (top) who portray agents Pea and Murphy, respectively. The memo further claims that, rather than being simply a few bad apples who need to be reported to their superiors, these allegedly dirty agents are being protected by an ongoing cover-up orchestrated by watchdog agencies within the Justice Department. 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. Camarena held other positions in law enforcement before joining the DEA. Fesitl was part of the extradition team and was present when Gilberto and Miguel were sent to the U.S. in 2004 and 2005, respectively, and that was his last interaction with the pair. "Pablo really was a manipulator. "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. Fed up with the danger, she took the pair's adopted daughter and abruptly flew back to the United States. They did, however, confirm when they left Colombia: After vacationing with his wife, the Murphys moved back to the United States in June 1994. Escobar died Dec. 2, 1993, in a shootout with Colombian police and American DEA agents. ), The information in that document is also corroborated by a number of other sources that spoke directly to Narco News, including former government officials who are familiar with the DEAs Bogot operations. When Netflix began filming a series based on Escobars life, they reached out to Agents Pea and Murphy to serve as consultants. "In real life, David was well-educated and smart, but he was put in a tough position and he tried to takeover and run as best he could," he says. ", Murphy arrived on the scene with Colonel Hugo Martinez, head of the Search Bloc, and says the Colombian national police are the true heroes: "They were the guys that we worked with who would keep us alive and theyre the ones who told us what happened. According to The Los Angeles Times, Camarenas murder led to the fall of Gallardo and his close associates and the fracturing of their cartel. Their hunt for the notoriousMedellinCartel leader was told on the first two seasons of Narcos, where both agents serve as series consultants. After the first failed raid on Miguel, Feistl, as shown on Narcos, told Salcedo it was time to get out and that they would capture the godfather without him. 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. [Warning: This story contains spoilers from the entire third season of Netflix's Narcos.]. One of the questions I remember him asking was when we went into GuillermoPallomaris office, [the accountant for the Cali cartel] and what I looked for in a raid. A look at the nature of the alleged corruption may give us some clues. ", Ultimately, an American DEA agent named Joe Toft went on the record, like Pena does on the show, to expose Cali as a "narco-democracy" in September of 1994. 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. To this day, no one is sure who fired the fatal shot. "We tried to do something with a couple of people and they would come up with these wacko ideas about what they wanted to do," Murphy recalls. One week after submitting the (information) to OPR, the money laundering investigation was shut down.. "Let me break it down for you: 4,000 soldiers, a 250-man team of Colombia's elite forces, tens of thousands of rounds fired, seven dogs and four fing helicopters. 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. I hated to see Maurices character get killed, but it was very exciting. The Bogot agent then claimed that he had no idea the Florida agents had given the informants permission to transport the cocaine. They adopted their second daughter in May before they returned. Finally, when the Colombian government tried to move him to a regular prison in 1992, Escobar escaped. Well just send everything that we have through Mexico.' 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. I think it was really beneficial to them to see that lay of land and see what we were working then.". 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. The investigation was halted. Special Agent James Terry Watson, Something Feistl helped them with were the small details, such as the mannerisms and personalities of each. He was also a veteran, having joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 1968, according to a DEA biography of him. 3 power that is now No. WebJavier Pea is a former DEA agent whose story formed part of the framework for the Netflix series Narcos. Zavala was helping Camarena in his undercover operations, The LA Times reported. Murphy (played by Boyd Holbrook) and Pena (played by Pedro Pascal) are the two agents responsible for taking down Pablo Escobar. 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. "Thats a question and always a mystery thats been asked for a long time, is," he says. In later years, some have argued that Mexican operatives working for the CIA were involved in Kiki Camarenas death, according to El Pais. Though Narcos is a fictionalized version of events,showrunner Eric Newman has always said the chronology is on point. To find out that he could have taken us out at any time he wanted to, we kind of attribute it to the grace of God. During the failed attempt, when Miguel was breathing through an oxygen tank behind one of the bathroom walls and got nicked with a driller, Fesitl says they were thisclose to capturing the boss. Obviously, that list is very, very short. The real Steve Murphy and Javier Pena discuss what is true and what is fiction, and shed insight on Season 3. Whats the true story? Their attempts to do so led to retaliation. On Oct. 12, with filming of the third season underway in Colombia, Netflix confirmed Pascal's return with a season-three photo. Lenny Jacobson 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. There is much more to that phone conversation as to where and how we meet. Newman has said the storyline was fictionalized (though Escobar did predecease his father, who was a farmer and estranged from the family) and Murphy says they weren't sure of his whereabouts at that point in the timeline. "They were accountants, professional money-launderers. "Thats how much we enjoyed it. Kent says his claims are supported by a number of DEA agents in Florida who the agency muzzled and retaliated against after they tried to expose the corruption. Chilean drug chemist Cockroach brings his product to Colombian smuggler Pablo Escobar. Steve subsequently fell into a downward spiral when abandoned by his family, overcome with emotion from a simultaneous realization that he might be the only "good guy" left. Among other things, it was alleged that the informant (the narco-trafficker) had several agents on his payroll who provided him with classified information.