Overview
- Federal prosecutors filed the motion on Wednesday seeking juror anonymity and daily transport by U.S. Marshals to shield jurors from contact and threats.
- The request says Caro Quintero has the means and a record of violent interference that create a realistic risk to juror safety.
- Caro Quintero faces four federal counts including leading a continuing criminal enterprise, international drug distribution conspiracies, illegal firearms use, and allegations tied to the 1985 kidnapping, torture and murder of DEA agent Enrique 'Kiki' Camarena.
- Prosecutors told the court they have left open the possibility of plea talks but said no formal offer has been made and Caro Quintero remains pleaded not guilty.
- The court kept the trial start date of March 8, 2027 and set the next status hearing for October 1, 2026, with the case drawing on decades of U.S.-Mexico cooperation and raising logistical and security challenges for a high-profile prosecution.