Mexican federal policemen storm into the ranch.
During the search for Enrique Camarena Salazar, the MFJP and the DEA raided a ranch owned by the Bravo family located in Vista Hermosa in Michoacan State, based on an anonymous tip-off which stated that the family were heavily armed drug traffickers working for the Guadalajara cartel.
The Mexican federal police brought in a large force enough to take on the army, and surrounded the ranch. They told James Kuykendall that Camarena was held in the attic and were planning to rush into the location. However, once they were inside the premises, the Mexican policemen began killing the inhabitants of the ranch. Kuykendall and Guillermo Calderoni searched the attic, but Camarena was nowhere to be found.
Five members of the Bravo family were killed during the raid, and including the father who was a Mexican State congressman who fought against the PRI ruling party. Mexican officials reported that the family members were affiliated to Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo, and possessed assault rifles and grenades, despite there being no evidence. The neighbours termed the raid as a massacre, while the DEA found it to be a cover-up performed by the PRI to eliminate its rivals.
After the raid, police officials locate the bodies of Camarena and his pilot Alfredo Zavala Avelar on the side of a well-traveled road near the ranch. Soil sample analysis by the Americans revealed that Camarena was definitely not murdered in the Bravo property. It was also revealed that the Mexican police officers destroyed Camarena and Zavala's clothing, and tampered with the evidence.
Historical Inaccuracy[]
In real-life, the ranch was raided by the Mexican Federal police on March 3, 1985. One policeofficer and 5 members of the family were killed: Manuel Bravo Cervantes a former local legislator, and his wife and three sons.
The bodies were only found on the side of a road near the ranch on March 7, 1985, and not on the same day as depicted in the show.