Meet Max, the dog credited with helping capture infamous drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero.
What did the dog do?
Authorities say, Max, a six-year-old canine and member of the Mexican Marines discovered the fugitive hiding in bushes in the northwestern Mexican state of Sinaloa on Friday. Max, born on April 20, 2016, weighs about 78 pounds and is an expert in tracking.
Infamous drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero, who was behind the killing of a U.S. DEA agent in 1985, was captured on Friday by Mexican forces. It was nearly a decade after walking out of a Mexican prison and returning to drug trafficking, Mexico’s navy said.
Caro Quintero was arrested after a search dog named “Max” found him hiding in the brush in the town of San Simon in Sinaloa state during a joint operation by the navy and Attorney General’s Office, a navy statement said. Also, the site was in the mountains near Sinaloa’s border with the northern border state of Chihuahua.
The Mexican Marines commented in a statement that Max played an integral role in locating Cano Quintero
Details of Caro’s arrest
Mexico’s national arrest registry listed the time of Caro Quintero’s arrest as around midday. He had two pending arrest orders and an extradition request from the U.S. government.
In a statement late Friday, Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office said that Caro Quintero was arrested for extradition. He would be held at the maximum security Altiplano prison about 50 miles west of Mexico City.
A concise video segment released by the navy showed Caro Quintero with his face blurred. He was dressed in jeans, a soaking wet blue shirt, and a baggy khaki jacket. Moreover, he was held in both arms by men. They were wearing camouflage uniforms and carrying assault rifles.
The navy statement said that a navy Blackhawk helicopter carrying 15 people crashed near the coastal city of Los Mochis during the operation. It killed 14 of those aboard. The available information indicated it suffered an “accident,” the cause of which had not yet been determined, the statement said.
Caro was on the FBI’s most wanted list, with a $20 million reward
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said via Twitter that the helicopter crashed shortly before landing after supporting those who conducted the capture of Caro Quintero. Moreover, he expressed condolences to the victims’ families and said the crash would be investigated.
Equally important, Caro was on the FBI’s most wanted list, with a $20 million reward for his capture through the State Department’s Narcotics Rewards Program. Furthermore, he was added to the FBI’s top 10 most wanted list in 2018.
