RED RIBBON WEEK HONORS FALLEN OFFICER IN DRUG FIGHT

Red Ribbon Week, which the Ledger-Enquirer is observing with this
weeklong series, was started in memory of Enrique "Kiki" S. Camarena.

Camarena was born in Mexico in 1947, graduated from high school in
California, and served in the U.S. Marine Corps for two years. After
working for a police department as a criminal investigator and
narcotics investigator, Camarena joined the Drug Enforcement
Administration as a special agent in 1974. He worked in California for
seven years, then was transferred to Mexico.

For 4 1/2 years, Camarena was hot on the trail of the country's
biggest marijuana and cocaine traffickers. In early 1985, on the verge
of unlocking a multibillion-dollar drug pipeline, Camarena was heading
to a lunch date with his wife, Mika. He was surrounded by five armed
men who threw him into a car and sped away.

That was the last time anyone but his kidnappers would see him alive.
It is believed that Special Agent Camarena's death actually occurred
two days later, but his body was not discovered for almost a month.

He was 37 years old and was survived by his wife and their three
children, Enrique, Daniel and Erik.

Shortly after Camarena's death, Congressman Duncan Hunter and high
school friend Henry Lozano launched Camarena Clubs in the special
agent's hometown of Calexico, Calif. Members pledged to lead drug-free
lives to honor the sacrifices made by the law enforcement officer and
others on behalf of all Americans. Later in 1985, the club met with
first lady Nancy Reagan, bringing it national attention. That same
year, parent groups in California, Illinois and Virginia began
promoting the wearing of red ribbons nationwide during late October.

The campaign was formalized in 1988 with President Ronald Reagan and
Nancy Reagan serving as honorary chairpersons. Today, the eight-day
observance is sponsored by the National Family Partnership and has
become the annual catalyst to show intolerance for drugs in our
schools, workplaces and communities

- -- Source: http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/ongoing/red_ribbon/redribbon_factsheet.html