$10-Million Bail Set for Doctor in Camarena Case
A federal judge in Los Angeles set bail Monday at $10 million for a doctor abducted from Mexico at the behest of U.S. officials to stand trial for the torture-murder of U.S. drug agent Enrique Camarena in Mexico.
U.S. District Judge Edward Rafeedie initially said he would not set bail for Humberto Alvarez Machain, but he then changed his mind.
Alvarez’s lawyers asked Rafeedie for bail because the doctor has been in custody for 19 1/2 months waiting to find out if he is going to stand trial.
Alvarez, charged with using drugs to keep Camarena alive while drug traffickers tortured him, was snatched from his office in April of last year by unknown individuals, who flew him to El Paso in exchange for a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration payment.
Rafeedie ruled last year that the doctor’s abduction violated the extradition treaty between the United States and Mexico and ordered him returned to Mexico. A federal appeals court upheld Rafeedie’s ruling, but prosecutors have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review the case.
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