Rafael Caro Quintero, the 73-year-old accused founder of the Guadalajara Cartel who is currently detained in Brooklyn, is involved in preliminary plea discussions with U.S. prosecutors, his defense counsel told a federal court on Thursday.
At a hearing in Brooklyn federal court, defense attorney Elizabeth Macedonio stated that prosecutors and defense lawyers were "continuing to discuss a disposition short of a trial." She later told reporters that those conversations were in their early stages.
Federal prosecutor Francisco Navarro addressed the court as well, saying plainly: "There is currently not a plea offer." That comment underlined that while talks are underway, no formal agreement has been put on the table.
Caro Quintero, who pleaded not guilty in February 2025, faces charges that include engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise and a cocaine importation conspiracy. He was expelled by Mexican authorities in February 2025 as part of their unexpected handover of 29 alleged drug kingpins to the United States, and is now held in a Brooklyn jail.
The U.S. Justice Department announced last August that it would not seek the death penalty in his case. Despite ongoing talks, the matter currently remains slated to proceed to trial unless a disposition is reached; the defendant is tentatively scheduled to stand trial on March 8, 2027.
Before his extradition and detention in the United States, Caro Quintero served 28 years in a Mexican prison following a conviction for the 1985 killing of former U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena. He was released in 2013 on a technicality and later recaptured by Mexican authorities in 2022 as the United States sought his extradition.
Caro Quintero has denied involvement in Camarena's death. The violent history connecting the alleged capo and the murdered DEA agent gained wider public attention through its prominent depiction in Mexico's 2018 television series "Narcos Mexico."
The proceedings in Brooklyn now include competing public statements from defense counsel about ongoing discussions and from prosecutors noting the absence of a formal offer, leaving the case in a state of active legal negotiation but without a concluded resolution at this time.