`Operation Falcon' swoops down on 312 fugitives
July 7th, 2008 @ 11:19am
by Jim Cross/KTAR

More than 300 fugitives have been arrested in Arizona during a one-week roundup dubbed ``Operation FALCON."

Federal, state and local law enforcement agencies participated in the roundup from June 22 through June 27.

``We are pleased that local law enforcement often looks upon operations such as FALCON as an opportunity to address fugitive apprehension issues in their communities," said John F. Clark, director of the U.S. Marshals Service. ``In the end, when this operation is over, our local partners are the people who will continue to live and work in the communities that Operation FALCON serves. We are committed to leaving behind a safer community for all of them."

"One fundamental responsibility of the law enforcement community is to aggressively pursue fugitives who have victimized the citizens of its communities," said David Gonzales, U.S. Marshal for the District of Arizona. "After this week, it should be known throughout the State that law enforcement officials, on every level, are working together to bring all felons to justice."

A total of 312 fugitives were arrested on 346 warrants. Ten guns, some cash and some drugs also were seized.

Gonzales said the fugitives included ``a murderer from Mexico that was on the loose for two years." He added, ``Several of them have been on the lam for several years, some for just a month or two. So it's all sections of time involved on the run in our community."

Among those arrested was Michael Neeley, a registered sex offender, who was living in a mobile home in Tucson with a male parole violator, two adult females and a 14-month-old girl. Neeley had been sentenced in 1995 to seven years in prison for molesting a 3-year-old girl.

Another fugitive arrested was Juan Figueroa Miranda, a prison gang member and bank robber. He was accused of parole violations. Police said Miranda, who was living at a motel along Interstate 10, had been using codeine, cocaine and marijuana.

Two others arrested were ``two Korean nationals who fled to Mexico after the murders of four individuals in California," said Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard. ``Using knives, they basically killed two adults and two children, dismembered the bodies and burned the house."

Steve Kwon and Jae Hwan Shim are wanted in the stabbing deaths of the four, in Lancaster, Calif., on June 23. The victims included a 10-year-old boy and a 13-year-old girl. The suspects were returned to the United States through the Port of Entry at Douglas after they were tracked to Mexico with the help of Mexican authorities.

A Mexican murder suspect also was arrested in southern Arizona and turned over to authorities in Mexico.

``We've come light years working with the Republic of Mexico when it comes to fugitives," said Gonzales.

Operation Falcon involved more than 154 law enforcement officers from 41 contributing agencies throughout Arizona.

The agencies involved were: U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Arizona Department of Public Safety, Arizona Attorney Generals Office, University of Arizona Police Department, Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, Maricopa County Adult Probation, Maricopa County Attorney's Office, Mohave County Sheriff's Office, Mohave County Adult Probation, Pima County Sheriff's Department, Pima County Probation Office, Pima County Attorney's Office, Pinal County Sheriff's Office, Pinal County Probation Office, Yavapai County Sheriff's Office, Bullhead City Police Department, Chandler Police Department, Cottonwood Police Department, El Mirage Police Department, Gilbert Police Department, Glendale Police Department, Mesa Police Department, Oro Valley Police Department, Peoria Police Department, Phoenix Police Department, Prescott Police Department, Prescott Valley Police Department, Sahuarita Police Department, Scottsdale Police Department, Sedona Police Department, Surprise Police Department, Tempe Police Department, Tucson Police Department, • U.S. Marshals Office


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