José Antonio Zorrilla was removed from the Federal Security Directorate at the end of February 1985 and, paradoxically, was nominated as a candidate for federal deputy for Hidalgo. However, his biography was tainted with allegations of links to drug trafficking, which may have prevented him from becoming a deputy that same year.
After taking refuge in Spain and returning to Mexico, Zorrilla was interrogated months later by the special prosecutor of the Buendía case, accusing him of being naive for believing what others informed him about the director of the DFS. In the trial for Buendía's murder, Zorrilla denied any knowledge of the drug trafficker and any favoritism shown toward him.
Although Zorrilla lost the candidacy, he traveled to Spain without problems, which was consistent with the time. Personalities such as Manuel Bartlett, Jorge Carrillo Olea, and Zorrilla himself can attest to this story, where politics, drug trafficking, and corruption blend.
The accusation of having issued a DFS credential to Rafael Caro Quintero added to the suspicions surrounding Zorrilla, who faced years in prison for Buendía's murder but denied his involvement. The recent detention of Caro Quintero in the United States has revived questions about what the Mexican government knew and allowed decades ago.
The scandal of the kidnapping of DEA agent Enrique Camarena was key in Zorrilla's dismissal from his position in 1985, although doubts remained about the extent of his illegal activities and ties to drug trafficking. The pressure from the United States at that time and the revival of the story today raise new uncertainties about Zorrilla's dark past and his relationship with organized crime.
