| Drug Wars: The Camarena Story | |
|---|---|
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| Genre | Crime drama Biographical |
| Based on | Desperados by Elaine Shannon |
| Written by |
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| Directed by | Brian Gibson |
| Starring | Steven Bauer Miguel Ferrer Benicio del Toro Treat Williams Craig T. Nelson Raymond J. Barry |
| Music by | |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Michael Mann Richard Brams |
| Producer | Branko Lustig |
| Production location | Spain |
| Cinematography | Sandi Sissel |
| Editors | Kevin Krasny Skip Schoolnik |
| Running time | 240 minutes |
| Production companies | World International Network ZZY Productions |
| Original release | |
| Network | NBC |
| Release | January 7 – January 9, 1990 |
| Infobox instructions (only shown in preview) | |
Drug Wars: The Camarena Story is a 1990 American crime drama television miniseries based on the life of Enrique 'Kiki' Camarena, an undercover DEA who was abducted and killed by the Guadalajara Cartel in 1985. The series is directed by Brian Gibson and stars Steven Bauer in the titular role and Benicio del Toro as cartel leader Rafael Caro Quintero, alongside Elizabeth Peña, Miguel Ferrer, Treat Williams and Craig T. Nelson. The teleplay is based on Elaine Shannon’s non-fiction book Desperados and the Time magazine article of the same name. Filmmaker Michael Mann served as an executive producer, as well as co-writing one of the episodes.
The series originally aired in three installments on NBC, on January 7-9, 1990. It was the second most watched NBC mini-series of the year following The Kennedys, and was generally well-received by critics. It won Outstanding Miniseries at the 42nd Primetime Emmy Awards, and Steven Bauer was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film. A follow-up television film, Drug Wars: The Cocaine Cartel, aired in 1992.