The Treasury Department has designated Lucio Rodríguez Serrano as a drug lord because of his close association with Rafael Caro Quintero, founder of the Jalisco cartel - the most wanted Mexican drug lord of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
According to the appointment made public this Wednesday, Rodríguez Serrano
participates in various activities on behalf of Caro Quintero
, who is a fugitive from justice.
In addition, he is accused of helping the capo flee from the authorities.
"Rafael Caro Quintero and his years of drug trafficking have endangered and cost American lives," Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin said in a statement on the appointment.
"The Department of the Treasury, in coordination with the DEA and other agencies, is committed to pursuing Caro Quintero until he is brought to justice."
Lucio Rodríguez Serrano was designated a drug lord by the United States Department of the Treasury. Department of the Treasury
Both drug traffickers are originally from the city of Badiraguato, Sinaloa, and the Treasury Department describes them as
lifelong friends
.
In addition to helping Caro Quintero evade justice, Rodríguez Serrano has participated in real estate transactions under the capo's direction.
Rodríguez Serrano's appointment, under the Kingpin Act, establishes that all his properties in the United States must be blocked and reported to the Treasury Department.
Likewise, it
prohibits any American from participating in transactions with Rodríguez Serrano
.
Caro Quintero is accused of the kidnapping and murder of federal agent Enrique
Kiki
Camarena, as well as crimes related to the Guadalajara cartel.
Although he was in prison since 1985 after his capture in Costa Rica, he was released on August 9, 2013 after a federal court in Guadalajara determined that he was wrongly tried for the murder.
Since April 2018, the drug lord has been added to his list of the ten most wanted fugitives.
The DEA offers a reward of $ 20 million to anyone who provides information that may lead to their capture.
For his responsibility in the murder of agent Camarena and the drug trafficking to the United States, Caro Quintero faces charges in the court of the Eastern District of New York and the Central District of California.
“
Bringing Rafael Caro Quintero to justice is one of the DEA's top priorities.
He was responsible for the brutal torture and death of a DEA special agent in 1985, and we will not rest until he is arrested, "said Acting Drug Enforcement Administration Administrator Timothy J. Shea.
"He continues to lead a major drug smuggling cartel into this country. Targeting his associates and support structure is crucial to quelling his criminal enterprise once and for all," he added.