Fugitive Arrested in 1985 Death of U.S. Drug Agent

A fugitive accused of involvement in the 1985 kidnapping, torture and murder of a U.S. drug enforcement agent has been arrested by U.S. marshals in South Los Angeles.

Antonio Vasquez-Ochoa, 49, is one of 16 people accused as co-conspirators in the plot to murder Enrique “Kiki” Camarena, a special agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Kidnapped in Guadalajara, Mexico, Camarena, 37, was later found dead near the residence of drug kingpin Rafael Caro Quintero, who is imprisoned in Mexico for his involvement in the slaying.

Authorities arrested Vasquez-Ochoa on Friday at an auto shop where they said he had been working as a mechanic while living illegally in the U.S. and using several aliases.

According to a 22-page indictment, Vasquez-Ochoa is charged with conspiracy, kidnapping a federal agent, aiding and abetting and other crimes.

Camarena’s murder, which has haunted U.S. drug officials for nearly two decades, prompted the United States to press Mexico for more cooperation in its campaign against the importation of illicit drugs.

In March, the U.S. Supreme Court signaled that it was likely to throw out the case against Humberto Alvarez Machain, a Mexican doctor who was abducted in Mexico in 1999 and brought to the United States to stand trial in Camarena’s killing.

Machain, who is suing the federal government and a Mexican agent dispatched by the U.S. to apprehend him, was acquitted.