The third season introducedAmado Carrillo Fuentes, aka the Lord of the Skies, of the Juarez Cartel and Newman pointed outthat if and when the show goes to Mexico, the show will focus on the war moving closer to U.S. shores. Their hunt for the notoriousMedellinCartel leader was told on the first two seasons of Narcos, where both agents serve as series consultants. In other words, someone outed the Florida groups informant, making him into a target for many dangerous people including the FARC guerrillas, and the tool used to expose him was proprietary DEA information that appeared to have come out of the Bogot DEA office. WebIn the acclaimed series Narcos, DEA Agent Steve Murphy (Boyd Holbrook) narrates how he and his partner, Javier Pea (Pedro Pascal) waged a years-long campaign against 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. We also speak in favor of the Red Ribbon campaign and drug awareness. 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. 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. A document obtained recently by Narco News makes those questions more than hypothetical queries. Agents contacted the Bogot Country Office to discuss the informants planned travel and their bringing cocaine out of Colombia infused in acrylic, writes Kent. Feistl is described as being the more serious of the two and a young agent who sought out assignment to Colombia as the drug trade shifts to Cali. 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. how to know past life through astrology; does nomberry sell authentic items Once it was determined that the agents in Bogot were lying, the informants were released. "It was revenge for a person that killed thousands and thousands of innocent civilians and police officers, including a couple of my good friends.". 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. ", The narrative decision did surprise Murphy, who said the writers did a "wonderful job. And what of the mainstream-media guardians of our liberty? They are prepared to provide the Public Integrity Section with those names and everything in the files at OPR and OIG, and then some, if called upon to do so. In Narcos: Mexico, Mika Camarena is depicted as a loyal and loving wife to DEA agent Kiki Camarena. He was also a veteran, having joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 1968, according to a DEA biography of him. ", As for the photographs in which he and other members of the Colombian police are smiling while posing with Escobar's dead body, Murphy says,"The reason I was smiling is because we knew, effective that moment, every citizen in Colombia was safer simply because one man died. 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 accurate depiction of the capturing of the Rodriguez brothers Gilberto (Damian Alcazar) and Miguel (Francisco Denis), who are currently serving life prison sentences after being extradited to the United States was also something Feistlrecounted in specific detail for the Narcos team. The Hollywood Reporter is a part of Penske Media Corporation. But that was probably the most interesting thing of that book. Well just send everything that we have through Mexico.' "Juan Pablo writes that they were trumped-up charges and says they were dismissed." That's not a dedicated family man. Those American tourists in the restaurant that we see get killed in the show were assumed to be DEA agents by Rafa. Now those people all of a sudden became 100 percent loyal to Pablo, willing to give their lives to protect him and work for him. The writers just really astound me. Furthermore, because Escobar had corrupted so many officers in the Colombian police and military, Pea was never sure who he could trust. To this day, no one is sure who fired the fatal shot. WebThere's stuff in there that's never been told." The money goes toward scholarships. 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. "Thats how much we enjoyed it. He talks about how Tata had to personally go negotiate these different surrendering of assets to all the Cali Cartel traffickers. "There was a lot of corruption," says Murphy. The real Chris Feistl discusses what is true and what is fiction, and sheds insight on Season 4. Each murder was preceded by a request for their identity by an agent in Bogot.. As he lay dying, a cartel doctor was ordered to keep him alert by administering drugs.. The group is widely recognized to be involved in narco-trafficking and arms dealing at the highest levels. Feistl says the depiction of the death of Miguel's son, David Rodriguez (played byArturo Castro), was accurate in the show. Pablo Escobar had a suite, Murphy later remembered. Part of the reason it was so hard to catch Escobar was that he was willing to kill anyone who came after him. And while the show makes Pea and Murphy out to be the heroes of the story, Pea insists that it was the Colombian police who deserve the real credit. Most of the major events in the show are accurate, although the writers changed some of the timelines. She told the newspaper, Since retiring as a skin-care consultant, I can spend more time as president of the foundation. Sources told Narco News that these corruption allegations involve cases launched in 1999 or 2000, but which resulted in investigations that carried on for months or years. As the show explains, the Rodriguez brothers are serving out life sentences in North and South Carolina prisons,Pacho Herrera was murdered in his Palmira prison and Chepe Santacruz Londono (Pepe Rapazote) was killed shortly after escaping his Bogota cell by paramilitary groups. He was sentenced to five years in his custom-built prison, which was a resort. But Escobar found his true calling in contraband. He arrived in Colombia in 1988 and immediately set to work establishing contacts with the Colombian police. That was home, where he felt comfortable and knew people. After Dec. 17, 1997, extradition was in play in Colombia for Colombia nationals who committed crimes after that date. On the show, the character is shot by Salcedo as the DEA agents are approaching Pallomari(Javier Camara) to transport him to the U.S. The agents were believed to work in Colombia and Washington, D.C.. Camarena received many awards and is considered an American hero. 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. "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. "She knew, just like his mother, what he was doing. Web"Descenso" is the first episode of Season 1 of Narcos and the first episode overall. The finale shows Tata Escobar swallowing her pride and attempting to appeal to Gilberto (Damian Alcazar) for compassion when she asks her husband's enemy for help getting her family out of Colombia. The raiding party that hit Miguels door the next morning included two DEA agents and a search team under Gen. Jose Serrano, chief of the Colombian national police. According to The Los Angeles Times, Camarenas murder led to the fall of Gallardo and his close associates and the fracturing of their cartel. Something Feistl helped them with were the small details, such as the mannerisms and personalities of each. Fesitl worked in Colombia for a total of 12 years. Of course, with that kind of money came problems. He could have watched his children grow up. In real life, Camarenas wife was indeed named Mika, and she is the mother of his three children. It is the series premiere. During Gilberto's capture, the godfather was actually hiding in a caleta in a bookcase in the wall, not under the bathtub as shown in Narcos. 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 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. "A lot of people didnt know about the Cali cartel. WebHe joined the DEA in 1987 and started working in Miami, where he stayed for four years, before being transferred to Bogot, Colombia. 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. "There were people we worked with in Cali that were part of the police that we knew were corrupt and proved it," says Feistl of how they kept information close to the chest. WebPortuguese products available Online we mail to all lower 48 states. So Javier Pea soon began working with Search Bloc, a special division within the Colombian police led by Colonel Hugo Martinezwhich was formed from the most trusted officers within the police. These charges blow away the smoke concealing the pretense of the war on drugs. They kept us alive when we were out doing operations. Steve Murphy/Texas MonthlyJavier Pea stands near a Colombian National Police helicopter. ", 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. "Because of those little subtle differences, that really made them mesh and gel and work together very well as a team. In the beginning of season two, Connie Murphy (played by Joanna Christie) left Steve Murphy behind in Colombia. ), Connie's departure, however, worked well for the drama. During the 1980s, Pena and Murphy were sent to collaborate with the Colombian Search Bloc in its war against drug traffickers such as Pablo Escobar, often contacting the CIA and Colombian police to help in their operations. Getty ImagesActors Pedro Pascal and Boyd Holbrook (top) who portray agents Pea and Murphy, respectively. Michael Pea plays DEA Agent Enrique Kiki Camarena in Season 1 of Narcos: Mexico. The informants were imprisoned for nine months while the accusations flew back and forth. Javier Pea wasnt going to take the silver. One week after submitting the (information) to OPR, the money laundering investigation was shut down.. ", How Feistlhooked up with Salcedo was a focal point in his conversations with the Narcos team, along with what they did when they got to Colombia, details of their first trip to Cali to interact with the Colombian national police and military, and how operations and surveillance unfolded. After this look at Javier Pea, find out why Escobars cousin Gustavo Gaviria may have been the real brains behind the cartel. And thats what Ive been doing up until yesterday. How much of 'Narcos' Season 3 really happened? WebOne mystery that still remains is the murder of the sicario Navegante (Juan Sebastian Calero) on Narcos. "The only stipulation Javier and I have is: Whoever we do this with cannot in any way glorify Pablo Escobar and the Medellin Cartel," Murphy recalls telling showrunner Eric Newman during a dinner in Washington, D.C. "We just hit it off. 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. The recordings revealed that a narco-trafficker had indeed obtained the internal DEA information that was used to expose the Florida groups informant. Whats the true story? They made startling revelations concerning DEA agents in Bogot, Kent writes. [Warning: This story contains spoilers from the second season of Narcos.]. They agreed to reveal the names to me on the condition that I not further disseminate these for the time being. "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. Did he really move to Guadalajara, Mexico and work for the DEA? DEA agent Steve Murphy joins the war on drugs in Bogota. Wyatt Redd is a freelance writer from Nashville, Tennessee. WebJavier Pena (1958-) was an American Drug Enforcement Agency agent and the partner of Steve Murphy. On the show, the character is What's the real story of the death of Kiki Camarena? Carrillo's death, in episode four, is my favorite, I hope it really surprised people. 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. 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. WebEnrique " Kiki " Camarena Salazar (July 26, 1947 February 9, 1985) was an American intelligence officer for the United States (DEA). What happens if proof emerges that it is the U.S. justice system that is corrupt? Updated at 12:51 p.m. ", Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day, Inside the business of TV with breaking news, expert analysis and showrunner interviews. "It was so well-constructed and so well hidden, that had he gotten into it, we would still be looking for that caleta," he says of the "phenomenally well-made" closet built into the closet in the master bedroom. It is only a matter of time before this thing explodes. Narcoscontinues to walk the fine line between presenting its villains as characters who are addictive to watch, but who are not glorified. It wasnt going after dope, it wasnt going after money. "Its very dangerous to draw a picture of someone as inhuman," he has said. The show, in both seasons 1 and 2, traces the growth of the drug trade, moving the series setting from Colombia to Guadalajara, Mexico. We sell bronze life-size busts of Kiki that are unveiled in schools and libraries throughout the country, not just in San Diego. 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. And so with Pablo Escobar dead, Javier Pea left Colombia and went on to continue his successful career with the DEA before retiring in 2014. Informants working for the Florida agents sent samples of the cocaine-laced acrylic to the DEA, but the agencys chemists couldnt figure out how to extract the cocaine. She is pregnant throughout part of the show and living with him in Mexico with their family while his job increases in danger. He described this season as being "50 to 60 percent accurate,"but for serialized drama's sake, the timing had to be condensed. Industries Crime and Terrorism After news of Narcos' two-season renewal, Newman said the third season will focus on Escobar's successor, the Cali Cartel. The bathroom had its own jacuzzi. WebFor years in the 1980s, Escobar made untold billions off trafficking cocaine into the United States from his native Colombia. After the death of money launderer Franklin Jurado (Miguel Angel Silvestre), viewers never see what happens to his widow, Christina (Kerry Bishe). The penultimate episode sees Escobar retreating to his father's farm. But if that is indeed the case, then why has Justice chosen to silence and punish the whistleblowers in this case rather than look into their claims? 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. WebThats especially true when he and his partner go to take down Cockroach, only to have one of Escobars hitmen take him out first, killing another DEA agent in the process. We are helping law enforcement get the word out about drugs to our youth, parents and schools., Kiki Camarenas son, Enrique Camarena is now a judge in California after serving as a deputy district attorney for years. "So that would have put us on the ground in Cali going after these guys for two years and three or four months. You have 24 hours to leave Colombia. But we all know, thats not what he chose to do. 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 It was his end, and his new cartels end, and it was El Chapos beginning (the eventual drug lord is first seen in the beginning of Narcos: Mexico in all his humble beginnings as a driver for a Sinaloan drug lord). I think he felt that he was involved in something and was a part of and belonged to something.". 1: the North Valley cartel. He has been transferred to Nashville, according to sources familiar with the memorandum. The problem is the wall was so thick that we broke two or three drill bits and we ran out of drill bits. [Laughs. 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. It was ironic and very coincidental that he was killed that day that we went to pick up Pallomari and bring him to Bogota.". Thats how the North Valley tried to defeat, in their minds, extradition. Kiki was surrounded by five armed men who threw him into a car and sped away. As a result, Feistl, who is now retired, returned to Cali to meet up with the Narcos team for several days to show them the ropes. In season 2, an enraged DEA jacks up its efforts to dismantle the cartel and get cartel figures to prosecution, even going so far as abducting a doctor accused of being affiliated with the cartel and assisting in Camarenas death. Javier Pea stands near a Colombian National Police helicopter. And in this case, the dam holding back the truth in the so-called war on drugs may be close to breaking. "When Escobar surrendered, many of the original Search Bloc guys got foreign assignments, which is what everybody aspires to, as a reward. I had a limited time frame in which to speak with them and ask questions. Gallardo was sentenced to 37 years in 2017 for the death of Camarena by a Mexican court (as well as the murder of Alfredo Zavala, a Mexican pilot), according to The Times. According to The San Diego Union-Tribune newspaper, after his death, she formed the Enrique S. Camarena Foundation in 2004 with the help of retired DEA agents and her oldest son, Enrique, a deputy district attorney working in the South Bay. "They were accountants, professional money-launderers. 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. ", Though Fesitl balks at their self-described label of being "gentlemen," he does admit that it is rare for a group of cartel bosses to not betray each other. I dont believe what he says, so I dont know if its true or not. "I gave them a tour of the city, showed them where actual houses and events took place, where the bloque of the Colombian national police actually was and where we did surveillances from. 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Bienvenidos en Espaol! The document mirrored information the DEA group in Florida provided the corrupt agents in Bogot previously.. Given the pretense that defines the war on drugs, Kents memorandum (which basically rewrites the script of that war) is not likely to be a hot seller in Washington, D.C., anytime soonabsent pressure from a major media blitz. Cali opened the door and the North Valley kind of kicked it through. Steve Murphy/Texas MonthlyJavier Pea and Steve Murphy sit outside of La Catedral following Pablo Escobars escape. How would I go into the building and what kind of papers would be of interest? Zavala was helping Camarena in his undercover operations, The LA Times reported. Pena had a long The previous seasons focused on the rise and fall of Pablo Escobar and the Cali Cartel. In real life, this event caused the US to hit back hard in what came to be known as "Operation Leyenda". However, he would make a fatal mistake, and season 2 deals with the aftermath of it: The murder of Camarena, and how the DEA responded to it. 2023 The Hollywood Reporter, LLC. But the Pea of the show was also depicted as an agent not above breaking the law in order to complete his mission. Oftentimes, the people Pea worked with funneled information directly to Escobar. They did, however, confirm when they left Colombia: After vacationing with his wife, the Murphys moved back to the United States in June 1994. (The DEA is part of the larger Justice Department. 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. I explained that anything with addresses, phone numbers, bank accounts, any links to different countries or in the United States were all useful.". English. "They got along well as a unit and part of that was because Miguel and Gilberto were brothers and they grew up and went to school with Santacruz, so they had that relationship," he says. Such a debriefing, based on what I learned in a few hours, would take days. Thats the only thing that kept us alive.". Season two of 'Narcos' takes place in the early 1990's, around the same time of Escobar's death. Once the targets were identified as being part of the drug ring, they began to cooperate with the Florida-based agents. In the first episodes of Narcos: Mexico, Kiki Camarena (played by Michael Pena) and Felix Gallardo (played by Diego Luna) are juxtaposed as twin protagonists: One trying to solidify the drug trade and the other trying to stop it in an era when the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) was still an underappreciated agency headquartered over a strip club. Powered by. Opening Statement, April 18, 2000 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. 2000-2011 Al Giordano. He was raised in California, graduating from Calexico High School in Calexico, California in 1966. Eric took it in good stride. A full investigation of his allegations may well prove that the DEAs Bogot office is clean as a whistle. 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. Pablo might be dead but the war is not over," the series tweeted from its official account. "So you learn who you trust.". When he surrendered it was just deflatingbecause of all the cops he had killed. Trujillo, who is based on a personwhose name has been changed, is also the Colombian cop who ends up pulling the final trigger on Escobar in the season finale. 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. But both of Miguel's raids were wholly accurate. 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.