John Walker, a young American writer, moved with his family to Guadalajara in the 1980s with the intention of finishing a novel he was writing. However, what he did not know was that the city was being infiltrated by Sinaloan drug traffickers. It was on a night in late January 1985 when he decided to go to dinner with his friend Albert Radelat, a dental student from Texas who was visiting Mexico.
Both young men were attacked with ice picks and knives at La Langosta Loca, a Sinaloan-style seafood restaurant located in Jalisco. John Walker reportedly died from the torture he suffered, while his friend was shot to death. Months later, their bodies were found and identified by their families.
The appearance of La Langosta Loca in the Netflix series, Narcos: Mexico, takes place in an episode where the events of 1985 are recreated. Rafael Caro Quintero, played by Tenoch Huerta, and Manuel Salcido, 'El Cochiloco,' are shown in the plot of episode 7, although the events are fictional. In the scene, tourists arrive at the restaurant where 'El Cochiloco' allows them to enter for a meal, but then violently attacks them.
Walker's daughter, Annie, lamented, 'My dad didn't know anything; he was an innocent writer.' John's widow, Eve, who made significant efforts to locate her husband, commented that the case wouldn't have been pursued if it weren't related to Camarena.
La Langosta Loca was a luxurious Sinaloan-style seafood restaurant in Jalisco during the 80s. It is speculated that the establishment may have been owned by Manuel Salcido, 'El Cochiloco,' linked to the Sinaloa Cartel, although there is no official information about it. The lack of precise data about La Langosta Loca contrasts with its opulence and the mysterious connection to figures of organized crime of the time.
Rafael Caro Quintero was extradited to the United States for his alleged involvement in the murder of DEA agent Enrique 'Kiki' Camarena. He is also linked to the deaths of John Walker and Albert Radelat at La Langosta Loca, confused by DEA agents and tortured for hours. Caro Quintero, nicknamed 'narco of narcos,' is one of the most wanted criminals by U.S. authorities.
