Rafael Caro Quintero Wife: What Is Publicly Known

If you’re searching for Rafael Caro Quintero’s wife, you’ll quickly notice that the answer isn’t as simple as a single name. Unlike celebrities or public figures who share personal details openly, information about Rafael Caro Quintero’s personal relationships comes almost entirely from official U.S. government records, not interviews or biographies. As a result, more than one woman has been identified in different contexts, using different legal terms. This article explains what is actually known, based strictly on documented public sources, and why clarity is limited.

Who Is Rafael Caro Quintero?

Rafael Caro Quintero is a Mexican drug trafficker best known as one of the founders of the Guadalajara Cartel, an organization that played a major role in the early expansion of drug trafficking into the United States. He is also linked by U.S. authorities to the 1985 kidnapping, torture, and murder of DEA Special Agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena, a case that remains one of the most significant in DEA history.

Because of this legacy, most public information about Caro Quintero appears in law enforcement statements, sanctions documents, and court-related press releases. These sources focus on criminal networks, financial activity, and alleged facilitation by associates—not on personal or family biographies.

Why the Term “Wife” Is Complicated in This Case

In everyday language, “wife” implies a legally recognized marriage. In government records, especially sanctions and enforcement documents, the term can be used more broadly or strategically. Authorities often describe relationships based on how they believe individuals are connected to assets, finances, or logistical support, not necessarily based on formal marital documentation.

That’s why, when researching Rafael Caro Quintero’s wife, you’ll encounter terms such as:

“Wife”
“Reported common-law wife”
Individuals described as acting “for or on behalf of” him

These labels reflect how authorities describe relationships in enforcement contexts—not necessarily a complete or traditional marital history.

María Elizabeth Elenes Lerma: Identified as “Wife” in Treasury Records

One of the clearest references comes from a U.S. Department of the Treasury press release related to sanctions against Caro Quintero’s network. In that document, Treasury explicitly identified María Elizabeth Elenes Lerma as his wife.

This designation appeared alongside references to other family members, including his children, suggesting that authorities viewed her as part of his immediate family circle for the purposes of sanctions enforcement. Importantly, this information comes directly from a primary government source, making it one of the most reliable references available.

What the public record does not provide are personal details such as her background, profession, or daily life. Those omissions are intentional. In high-risk cases involving organized crime, personal biographies are rarely included unless they are directly relevant to enforcement actions.

Diana Espinoza Aguilar: Described as a “Reported Common-Law Wife”

A second name appears in a separate Treasury action: Diana Espinoza Aguilar, also listed in some documents as Altagracia Espinoza Aguilar. In a 2016 Treasury press release, she was described as Rafael Caro Quintero’s “reported common-law wife.”

That same document alleged that she acted on his behalf by holding assets or conducting financial activities connected to him. This context explains why her name appears in sanctions materials: the focus was on alleged facilitation, not on defining a personal relationship for biographical purposes.

Later Department of Justice materials also referred to a “common-law wife” when describing alleged attempts to move or conceal assets, reinforcing that U.S. authorities viewed this relationship as relevant to enforcement actions.

The phrase “reported common-law wife” is important. It signals that authorities are describing a relationship as they understand it operationally, without asserting a formal legal marriage.

Why Two Different Names Appear in Credible Sources

Seeing two different names often leads people to assume conflicting information or errors. In reality, the difference reflects how and when the relationships were described by authorities.

María Elizabeth Elenes Lerma was identified as “wife” in one Treasury sanctions action.
Diana Espinoza Aguilar was identified as a “reported common-law wife” in another, later action.

These labels are not interchangeable, and they don’t necessarily contradict each other. They simply indicate that U.S. authorities believed both women were connected to Caro Quintero in different ways and at different times, for enforcement purposes.

What’s missing—and often filled in incorrectly by online sources—is a clear personal timeline. Public records do not consistently state whether one relationship replaced another, whether there were separations, or whether the terms refer to legal or informal arrangements. Making assumptions beyond what is written is where misinformation tends to arise.

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