21 – 27 OCTOBER 2012
Enrique “Kiki” Camarena
Marine
Enrique “Kiki” Camarena
Drug
Enforcement
Agent
His Beginnings
• Born on July 26, 1947
– in Mexicali, Mexico.
•Raised in a dirt-floor house
•Had hopes and dreams of
making a difference.
His Education
• Graduated
from Calexico
High School in
Calexico,
California in
1966
His Professions
• 1968 - Joined the U.S. Marine Corps.
– serving for two years,
• 1970 - Joined the Calexico Police
Department
– Criminal Investigator
• May 1973 - joined the El Centro Police
Department.
– Narcotics Investigator
His Philosophy
•"I can't not do this," he told his
mother when she contested his
decision to join the DEA.
•"I'm only one person, but I want
to make a difference."
His Final Assignment
• Undercover in Guadalajara Mexico
– Investigating a major drug cartel believed to
include officers in the Mexican army, police
and government.
– For 4 1/2 years he remained on the trail of
the country's biggest marijuana and cocaine
traffickers.
– And in early 1985, he was extremely close to
unlocking a multi-billon dollar drug pipeline.
His Kidnapping
• February 7, 1985. Before he was able to
expose the drug trafficking operations to
the public, he was kidnapped.
• On that fateful day, while headed to a
luncheon with his wife, Mika, Special
Agent Camarena was surrounded by 5
armed men who threw him into a car and
sped away.
• That was the last time anyone but his
kidnappers would see him alive.
His Demise
• One month later, Camarena's body was
found in a shallow grave. He had been
tortured to death.
His Funeral
“Camarena Clubs”
• High school friend Henry Lozano
launched Camarena Clubs in Kiki's
hometown of Calexico, California.
• Hundreds of club members including
Calexico High School teacher David
Dhillon wore red ribbons and pledged
to lead drug-free lives to honor the
sacrifices made by Kiki Camarena and
others on behalf of all Americans.
His Decorations
• During his 11 years with DEA, Agent
Camarena received
– 2 Sustained Superior Performance
Awards,
– a Special Achievement Award and,
– Posthumously, the Administrator’s
Award of Honor - the highest award
granted by DEA.
In His Honor
• In honor of Agent Camarena's memory and his battle
against illegal drugs, friends and neighbors began to
wear red badges of satin.
• Parents, sick of the destruction of alcohol and other
drugs, had begun forming coalitions.
• Some of these new coalitions adopted Agent
Camarena as their model and embraced his belief that
one person can make a difference.
The Symbol
• These coalitions also adopted the symbol of
Agent Camarena's memory
•The Red Ribbon.
The 1st Red Ribbon Campaign
•1988 - The National Family
Partnership organized the first
Nationwide Red Ribbon Campaign
in Sacramento, CA.
•Since that time, the campaign has
reached millions of U.S. children.
In Texas
• In 1997, the Texas Commission on
Alcohol and Drug Abuse began
committing resources to ensure the
continuation of the Red Ribbon Campaign
in Texas, as well as the hopes and beliefs
behind this grassroots effort to protect
children from the dangers of alcohol and
other drugs.
Red Ribbon Week
• Nationally recognized and celebrated
• Preserves the memory of Special
Agent Camarena
• Symbol of support for the DEA’s
effort to reduce the demand for
drugs through prevention and
education
What Time is It?
• It’s a time to show gratitude for
all the lives that remain drug free
• It’s a time to pledge to live a safe
and drug-free life
• It’s a time to remember those we
have lost in the fight against
drugs