Lawyers for Caro Quintero argue that the caporegime's prison restrictions are based on "fabrications," they claim.
Rafael Caro Quintero Faces Extreme Isolation in Brooklyn Jail
Rafael Caro Quintero, a former drug cartel leader, is currently held in a Brooklyn jail in New York, where he faces extreme isolation and severe communication issues.
Caro Quintero is confined to a small, windowless cell for 23 hours daily on weekdays and 24 hours on weekends, with no exercise permitted on weekends. His meals are passed through a slot in the door, and he eats alone. The cell has constant light, erratic air-conditioning, insufficient warm clothing or blankets, leading to him often shivering.
Communication is severely restricted. Except for visits from his legal team, Caro Quintero is completely isolated and prohibited from sharing a cell or communicating with other inmates. A significant issue is the language barrier—he speaks only Spanish, while at times the guards in his housing unit speak only English, preventing effective communication.
His lawyers have formally requested his release from solitary confinement to a less restrictive unit, emphasizing the detrimental effects of his current conditions.
Additionally, Caro Quintero himself has denounced being treated akin to a terrorist under these extreme conditions. This situation is unusual and reminiscent of detention protocols reserved for high-risk inmates or terrorism suspects.
Despite these conditions, the U.S. government has not presented concrete examples of witness intimidation or continued criminal activity by Rafael Caro Quintero while he has been in custody. His only visitors have been members of his defense team appointed by the court, and he has had only one or two brief monitored phone calls with relatives in Mexico.
Since the imposition of the Special Administrative Measures (SAMs), Caro Quintero has not been allowed even indirect contact with his family, as his defense team is prohibited from disseminating his communications to third parties.
References:
- The New York Times
- CNN
- BBC News
- ABC News
- The Guardian
In this episode of general-news, Rafael Caro Quintero, a notorious figure in politics and crime-and-justice, is subjected to extreme isolation in a Brooklyn jail, with limited communication and harsh conditions that resemble those normally reserved for high-risk inmates or terrorism suspects. Despite these conditions, it has not been proven that Caro Quintero has engaged in witness intimidation or continued criminal activity while in custody.
