Crime Stoppers International (CSI) in conjunction with its affiliated Crime Stoppers programs in the Caribbean & Latin America Region, Canada and the Americas, is supporting INTERPOL in a global fugitive hunt, called Operation INFRA. (International Fugitive Round Up and Arrest). This INTERPOL led initiative is intended to apprehend fugitives that are sought both domestically and by other countries.

From December 16th 2013, Crime Stoppers programmes in the Caribbean, Latin America, Canada and the Americas, in collaboration with local and regional media, will undertake an intense effort to assist INTERPOL in tracking down highly sought after criminals who are believed to be resident in the Caribbean and the Americas.

Photographs and details of the persons of interest can be viewed at www.interpol.int

Anyone with information on these fugitives, can contact their local Crime Stoppers programmes anonymously or alternatively, they can provide information directly via the INTERPOL website.

(NOTE: information provided to INTERPOL will be treated in confidence, but unlike Crime Stoppers, will not be anonymous)

Related story:

Interpol joins hunt for Mexican drug lord sought by U.S

By Lizbeth Diaz Reuters From Chicago Tribune

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – The search for a Mexican drug lord wanted for the murder of a U.S. federal agent expanded on Monday when Interpol issued a wanted persons alert for Rafael Caro Quintero, who disappeared in August.

The international police agency has no new information on his whereabouts but said in a release they believe he may be hiding in Central America, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela or the Caribbean.

The 61-year-old former leader of the Guadalajara cartel had served 28 years of a 40-year sentence for the 1985 slaying of U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena.

The agent was kidnapped, tortured and killed after a number of successful drug busts in Mexico and his murder spurred one of the largest DEA investigations ever undertaken.

Caro Quintero was freed from the Puente Grande prison in the western Mexican state of Jalisco on August 9 after a Mexican court ruled he should have been tried at state level rather than on federal charges.

His early release angered the U.S. government and the DEA said it was “deeply troubled.” Three months later in November the Mexican Supreme Court overturned the lower court’s decision and prosecutors issued a warrant for the drug lord’s arrest.

The U.S. State Department is offering a $5 million reward for information leading to Caro Quintero’s capture.

(Writing by Lomi Kriel; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)

For more on this story go to:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-rt-us-interpol-mexico-druglord-20131216,0,6973402.story

Related story:

Mexico court frees drugs kingpin Rafael Caro Quintero

From BBC

PHOTO: Rafael Caro Quintero was a founding member of Mexico’s Guadalajara Cartel

A court in Mexico has released drugs baron Rafael Caro Quintero, after he served 28 years in prison for the kidnap and murder of a US agent.

The court cut short Caro Quintero’s 40-year sentence for the 1985 killing of US Drug Enforcement agent Enrique Camarena.

It ruled that Caro Quintero, now 60, should have been tried in a state rather than a federal court.

The murder strained US-Mexico ties and changed the war on drugs trafficking.

Caro Quintero had been arrested in Costa Rica amid a massive manhunt for cartel leaders.

He was one of three founding members of the Guadalajara Cartel.

Heralded as a hero

The group was thought to be responsible for transporting the majority of the cocaine consumed in the US in the 1980s, the BBC’s Will Grant reports from Mexico City.

Caro Quintero could have faced other charges or possible extradition to the US.

But the inmate walked free early on Friday before media were notified.

The court did not clear Caro Quintero of Camarena’s death.

PHOTO: Mexican police officers patrolled the surroundings of the Puente Grande prison where Rafael Caro Quintero has been held

Our correspondent says that would have caused significant scandal, particularly among Washington-based drug enforcement agencies where the murdered operative is heralded as a hero.

The US authorities believe Caro Quintero has been controlling drugs money from behind bars, the Associated Press news agency reports.

“Caro Quintero continues to launder the proceeds from narcotics trafficking and he maintains an alliance with drug trafficking organisations,” US treasury department spokesman John Sullivan was quoted as saying.

Many analysts believe the Camarena killing represented a key turning point in the fight against drug trafficking in Mexico.

It broke up the Guadalajara Cartel into splinter groups, which formed the basis of today’s powerful drug gangs.

Experts say it also led to closer cooperation between Mexico and the US on drug trafficking cases, AFP says.

For more on this story go to:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-23642506