Enrique  S. Camarena was born on July 26, 1947 in Mexicali, Mexico. He joined the Drug Enforcement Administration. His first assignment as a Special Agent was in a familiar place – Calexico, California. In 1977, after three years in Calexico, he was reassigned to the Fresno District Office in Northern California. Four years later, Kiki received transfer orders to Mexico, where he would work out of the Guadalajara Resident Office. For four and one-half years in Mexico, Kiki remained on the trail of the country’s biggest marijuana and cocaine traffickers. And in early 1985, he was extremely close to unlocking a multi-billon dollar drug pipeline. However, before he was able to expose the drug trafficking operations to the public, he was kidnapped on February 7, 1985. On that fateful day, while headed to a luncheon with his wife, Mika, Kiki 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 until March 5, 1985. He was 37 years old and was survived by his wife, Mika and their three children, Enrique, Daniel and Erik. During his 11 years with DEA, Kiki received two Sustained Superior Performance Awards, a Special Achievement Award and, posthumously, the Administrator’s Award of Honor, the highest award granted by DEA.

Shortly after Kiki’s death, Congressman, Duncan Hunter, and high school friend Henry Lozano launched Camarena Clubs in Kiki’s hometown of Calexico, California. Hundreds of club members including Calexico High School teacher David Dhillon wore red ribbons and pledged to lead drug-free lives to honor the sacrifices made by Kiki Camarena and others on behalf of all Americans.

Red Ribbon Week eventually gained momentum throughout California and later the United States. In 1985, club members presented the Camarena Club Proclamation to then First Lady Nancy Reagan, bringing it national attention. Later that summer, parent groups in California, Illinois, and Virginia began promoting the wearing of Red Ribbons nationwide during late October. The campaign was then formalized in 1988 with President and Mrs. Reagan serving as honorary chairpersons. Today, the eight-day celebration is sponsored by the National Family Partnership, and has become the annual catalyst to show intolerance for drugs in our schools, work places, and communities. Each year, during the last week in October, more than 80 million young people and adults show their commitment to a healthy, drug-free life by wearing or displaying the Red Ribbon.