Mexico Confirms Death of Reputed Drug Cartel Chief
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MEXICO CITY — After exhaustive testing, Mexican authorities said Thursday that they have confirmed the death of Amado Carrillo Fuentes, who was believed to have been Mexico’s most powerful drug lord.
Fingerprints matched records kept for Carrillo and other forensic tests confirmed the identity, said Mariano Herran Salvatti, a special anti-drug prosecutor in the Mexican attorney general’s office.
Mexican authorities had awaited the results of the testing, which included a DNA comparison, before confirming a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration official’s statement Sunday that Carrillo was dead.
Carrillo died in a Mexico City hospital July 4, hours after he reportedly underwent extensive plastic surgery and liposuction.
Herran Salvatti said he had no further information on a cause of death and that an investigation was continuing. The attorney general’s office said in a statement that it would look into the possibility of homicide or of professional error by the attending doctors.
Carillo reputedly headed the Juarez drug cartel.
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