On this day, Feb. 7, in 1985, Enrique “Kiki” Camarena, an undercover agent for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, was abducted by corrupt police officers in Mexico.
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Camarena was killed by drug leaders after he discovered a marijuana plantation valued at $8 billion.
After his disappearance, the DEA launched its largest homicide investigation.
Camarena had been tortured extensively before he was murdered. Audiotapes showed that medical doctors kept Camarena alive for two days in order to continue the torture.
The media coverage of Camarena’s case shed light on the violent world of drug trafficking.
His death also led to the Red Ribbon Week, which started in 1985 in his hometown of Calexico, Calif.
Today the Red Ribbon Week is the nation’s oldest and largest drug prevention program.
— Scott McCabe
