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On July 15, a Black Hawk helicopter crashed near Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico, leaving 14 people dead.
The cause of the crash remains unknown. Authorities reported that there were 15 people on the plane. 14 died at the scene and the survivor is currently being treated for injuries at a local hospital.
In the aftermath of the crash, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador spoke to the press about those onboard the Navy-owned Black Hawk. He said that these people were involved in the capture of Rafael Caro Quintero. The 69-year-old is a suspected drug lord and the founder of the now declining Guadalajara cartel.
It is worth mentioning that Quintero was not a part of the crash and is currently in custody of the Mexican military. While most of the victims of the crash have not yet been identified, local outlets have reported that they are most likely officials within the Mexican Navy.
The Mexican Navy reported that the circumstances of the helicopter crash were unknown. Although the helicopter was involved in an operation to capture Quintero, authorities haven't disclosed whether or not any foul play was involved.
Theories surrounding the Black Hawk crash
As mentioned earlier, it is unknown whether there was foul play involved in the crash but the Mexican Navy has denied that Quintero was responsible for it. Despite this, several online commentators believe that something more sinister was at play which led to the Black Hawk crashing.
Certain Mexican outlets reported that Quintero was in the helicopter and it was made to crash to kill him and possibly cover up any government connections he had.
However, there was another theory that stated that the crash of the Black Hawk was staged in an attempt to allow Quintero to escape.
Contrary to all these theories, it was reported that the drug lord was not in the helicopter when it crashed and was in military custody at the time.
Another theory that emerged was that Quintero's organization may have caused the crash in retaliation for his arrest. There is no evidence for this, but the theory has emerged due to what is seen as the powerful presence of the Mexican cartels and the influence they reportedly hold over the Mexican government.
It was reported that Quintero and the Guadalajara cartel and their power is currently declining. However, U.S. authorities suggest that their hold over the Mexican police allowed them to dominate the drug trade for decades.
There were also reports that corrupt Mexican police officers may have assisted Quintero in abducting and killing Kiki Camarena in 1985. Camarena was a DEA agent responsible for numerous raids on cartel interests.
Quintero was arrested in 1985 for the alleged murder of Camarena. However, his influence became obvious once more when his 40-year sentence for the murder of the agent was cut short in 2013, after he'd served just 28 years.
While the Mexican Supreme Court eventually overturned the decision, by that point it was too late. The suspected drug lord had escaped.
Quintero, who is currently under the Mexican military's custody, will be extradited to the U.S. soon, according to US Attorney General Merrick Garland.
