Enrique Salazar Camarena

United States Department of Justice - Drug Enforcement Administration — Arlington, TX

Veteran → Felonious

End of Watch February 9, 1985

Age 37

Tour of Duty 11 yrs

The Vigil Panel 129 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Military Department 37

Incident

Special Agent Enrique Camarena was abducted and murdered by drug traffickers while working an undercover assignment in Mexico on February 7th, 1985. He was tortured until he died two days later. His body was not located until March 5th, 1985. One of the subjects who participated in his torture and murder was ordered released by a 9th Circuit Court judge who ruled that the man had been arrested illegally. The suspect had been captured by bounty hunters in Mexico, taken to El Paso, Texas, and turned over to the DEA. A second subject was acquitted and four others were found guilty and sentenced to serve time in Mexico. In August 2017 the leader of the Guadalajara Cartel was convicted of Agent Camarena's murder and sentenced to 37 years in prison. Agent Camarena was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran. He had served with the DEA for 11 years and had previously served with the Calexico Police Department and Imperial County Sheriff's Department in California. He is survived by his wife and three children. His remains were cremated and scattered over Mt. Signal between Mexico and the United States.

Survivors

He is survived by his wife and three children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-FED-83A76353
Stewardship: Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw: August 2, 2026
Last updated: August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Also honored at salute.nw — U.S. Marine Corps. One record, 2 gates. Enrique is one person.

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Tributes

I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Special Agent Camarena gave the United States Department of Justice 11 years.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Department United States Department of Justice - Drug Enforcement Administration

Type Federal Agency

Location Arlington, TX

Platform Identity usdjdeafed.fed.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch February 9, 1985

Tour of Duty 11 yrs

Age 37

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Person

Military Service

Enrique Salazar Camarena served in the U.S. Marine Corps before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Special Agent Enrique Salazar Camarena is one of 1 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,759 officers honored here.

In TX, 1,460 of 2,421 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60.3% of this state's fallen. That is 60.3 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At United States Department of Justice - Drug Enforcement Administration, 18 of 38 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 47.4% of this agency's fallen.

United States Department of Justice - Drug Enforcement Administration

of 38 officers

47.4% Felonious

TX — Statewide

1,460

of 2,421 officers

60.3% Felonious

Nationwide

of 97,759 officers

0% Felonious