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Armadillo Quintero
Armadillo-quintero
Name: Armando Quintero
Sibling(s): Navaro Quintero (brother)
Alias: Armadillo
Affiliation: Torrucos
Profession: Drug dealer
 
Status: Deceased
Played by: Danny Pino
Season(s): 2
Died: "Scar Tissue"
Stabbed by Little Pop
First episode: "The Quick Fix"
Last episode: "Scar Tissue"


Armando "Armadillo" Quintero was a Mexican gang leader seeking control over Farmington's drug trade. He was also the man who raped Jessica Hintel and Mayda Reyes, Cuca's girlfriend and the younger sister of Cuca and Topo Reyes respectively.

Before Season 2[]

Armadillo was an orphan and lived on the streets when he was a kid. When he was 11 years old, a social worker gave him an IQ test, he scored very high and was placed in a special school where he raped and beat his teacher. He spent two years in Sinaloa Juvenile Facility and returned to the streets after that.

Armadillo came to Farmington seeking to gain control of the drug trade in the area. One of his methods of achieving this was to unite Latino gangs in the region. He approached Cuca, a lieutenant for The Toros and told him he could join him or he'd die. During his visit, Armadillo kept looking at Mayda, Cuca's little sister. Some time later, Armadillo approached Cuca while he was walking with his girlfriend, Jessica Hintel. Armadillo asked him if he had changed his mind, but Cuca refused to join him. Armadillo kidnapped Jessica took her to his house and raped her. After he was finished, he held her while one of his men tattooed a dove on her face, so she could remember him.

Season 2[]

Quick-fix-main

Armadillo looks as Cuca and Bang-Bang are murdered.

Two weeks after Armadillo raped Jessica, he captured Cuca. Armadillo proceeded to "firenecklace" Cuca along with Bang-Bang, a lieutenant for Los Mags. After that, Armadillo brought cocaine shipments from Tijuana with the help of his brother, Navaro. He then gave Alvarez and other dealers the product and ordered them to distribute it in the streets.

Detectives Claudette Wyms and Dutch Wagenbach went to Armadillo's house and took him to the Barn for questioning. However, he claimed to be innocent of the deaths of Cuca and Bang-Bang, and told the detectives that they could only hold him there for six hours without presenting charges. Since Jessica Hintel wasn't willing to testify and Claudette didn't want to put Mayda in the stand, they were forced to release him after six hours. However, during his time at the interrogation room, Armadillo found a barrette Mayda had left there when she went to testify against him.

After he got out of the Barn, Armadillo kidnapped Mayda and took her to his home. He raped her and then had a dove tattooed on her face, like he did with Jessica. After that, he sent her to her home.

After Vic Mackey gave some of Armadillo's men one of his presentation cards, Armadillo sent some of his men to burn T.O. Osmond's comic book store. T.O., who used the store as a front for his drug dealing business, was Mackey's protege to control the drug trafficking in Farmington. Armadillo also left a dead pig at the scene with Mackey's card stabbed in the forehead.

When Mackey and the Strike Team found out what happened, they went to Armadillo's house. Some of his men tried to protect him, but he ordered them to be still. The Strike Team then took them all outside. Right before Vic asked Armadillo about the fire, he claimed that he was with some friends and offered to give him their names as an alibi. Armadillo commented to Mackey that he was different than his brother, Navaro and that he preferred to read than party. When Mackey mentioned the rape of Mayda Reyes, Armadillo told him he had no evidence or warrant, and that all of his visas were in order. Still, Mackey arrested him claiming that he was harboring a felon because one of his men was on parole and had his driver's license expired.

After being taken to the Barn, Armadillo was put in the cage. While inside, Mackey took a picture of him to put with the one he took to Navaro. After some time, Armadillo got undressed and lied down in his underwear. When the Strike Team brought T.O. Osmond for questioning, T.O. started screaming at him for burning his store. Armadillo simply looked at him. Armadillo then saw when the Team brought Ripley Verdugo, who they planned to use as a scapegoat for burning T.O.'s store.

After some time, the police were forced to release Armadillo for not having charges. When his attorney arrived, he was taken out. As he was walking out of the cage, Mackey told him he'd be in touch. Armadillo simply told him that he knew he would.

Vic-armadillo-stove-2

Vic Mackey burns Armadillo's face with a stove.

That night, Armadillo had T.O. captured and "firenecklaced". As he was about to burn him, he called Mackey so he could listen to T.O. scream. After Mackey saw T.O.'s dead body, he went to Armadillo's house, who was just reading by the fireplace. When he saw them come in, he told them that if they didn't have a warrant they were breaking the law. As a result, Mackey started beating him with a huge law book while asking him to leave the country. As Armadillo refused to leave, Mackey dragged him to the kitchen and turned on the stove. With Lem and Shane looking, Mackey held Armadillo against the stove top burning his face. When Lem and Shane broke them apart, Armadillo fell to the floor full with pain and anger. Mackey and the Strike Team simply left.

Danny-armadillo

A scarred Armadillo talks to Danny Sofer.

After some time, Armadillo returned to the US and started distributing heroin at schools. He recruited minors to serve as dealers because he knew that minors would have lesser charges. One day, he stopped by a crime scene and approached Officer Danny Sofer. He asked her if she worked with Vic Mackey and told her he had a message for him. He told her that the man he was looking for wouldn't stop. When Danny asked him what his name was, Armadillo told her to mention the scars on his face to Vic.

Later, when he found out that Mackey had threatened to "greenlight" his brother in prison, Armadillo had someone kill Navaro instead. Knowing that the Strike Team were tracing Navaro's calls, he set up a trap for them to lure them into a specific address, where he left only a phone. Armadillo then waited at another place until Navaro called him to had someone kill him. When he heard the Strike Team arrive at the house where he had left the phone, he heard Vic pick it up and then told him he had gotten rid of Navaro and that now he had "greenlit" them.

2x08 Armadillo surrenders

Armadillo surrenders.

Armadillo then started bringing his own men from Mexico to run his drug business in Los Angeles. This angered local dealers that felt pushed aside by Armadillo's strategy. Also, one night he went to Vic Mackey's apartment and found Ronnie Gardocki there. He attacked him and burned his face in the stove, just like Mackey did with him. He then left him injured in the floor and left. Later, when he noticed that the Strike Team were on his trail, and knowing that they would probably kill him instead of arresting him, he called the police to surrender. He was taken in by Detective Claudette Wyms and taken to the Barn for questioning.

After being put in an interrogation room, Claudette started asking him questions but Armadillo requested only to speak to Vic Mackey. When Vic entered the room, Armadillo told him to unplug the surveillance camera. After he did, Armadillo started commenting on how his burn-scar felt after Vic did it. He then told him he was planning to return to Mexico. When Vic mentioned that they had him for burning Ronnie's face, Armadillo tried to blackmail him into making Ronnie recant his statement or he would confess what Vic did to him. When Vic brought up the rape of Mayda Reyes, Armadillo teased him until Vic grabbed him by the neck and started to strangle him. However, Vic quickly realized that that's what Armadillo wanted and he released him. He then walked silently out of the room.

2x08 Armadillo dies

Armadillo bleeds to death.

Armadillo was then taken to the cage. Some time later, Officer Danny Sofer put Little Pop in the same cage. After awhile, Little Pop pulled a shiv and stabbed Armadillo nine times in the back and stomach. Officer Paula entered the cage to check if he was still alive, but he was already dead.

Appearances[]

Season 2

The Quick Fix · Dead Soldiers · Partners · Carte Blanche · Greenlit · Homewrecker · Barnstormers · Scar Tissue · Co-Pilot · Coyotes · Inferno · Breakpoint · Dominoes Falling ·


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