C.B.P. News Release

CBP Officers in Brownsville Arrest Kidnapping Suspect

(Monday, August 23, 2010)

Brownsville, Texas – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Brownsville Port of Entry came in contact with a man wanted on an outstanding arrest warrant for kidnapping from Plant City, Florida.

On August 22, 2010 CBP officers working the primary lanes at the Veterans’ International Bridge encountered a man identified as Epifanio Muniz, 30, a Mexican citizen and resident of Plant City, Florida. Checks of a CBP database by a primary CBP officer revealed a possible outstanding arrest warrant for Muniz. CBP officers escorted Muniz to secondary for verification of an outstanding arrest warrant. At secondary, CBP officers verified the outstanding warrant from Florida in a case involving kidnapping. CBP officers arrested Epifanio Muniz and subsequently turned him over to the custody of the Cameron County Sherriff’s Office. Epifanio Muniz remains incarcerated pending extradition to Florida.

“Use of a national database by our frontline officers has been successful once again; this wanted fugitive has been charged with a kidnapping in Florida. Our CBP officers were instrumental in apprehension of this subject who will now face pending kidnapping charges," said Michael Freeman, CBP Port Director, Brownsville Port of Entry.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.

Contacts For This News Release
Eddie Perez
CBP Public Affairs
Phone: (956) 548-2745 Ext: 1155 or

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/new ... 2010_6.xml