CBP arrests ‘Americas Most Wanted’ bank robber

Wed, 2012-05-16 01:46 PM
By: Mark Rockwell
gsnmagazine.com

A man once profiled on the “Americas Most Wanted” television show was caught by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents in Puerto Rico as he tried to reenter the U.S. from Venezuela.

Walid Abdulla, was arrested the night of May by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in San Juan.

Abdulla had applied for admission with a CBP officer after arriving at the Luis Muñoz Marin International Airport on an American Airlines flight from Caracas, according to CBP.

The inspecting customs officer referred Abdulla to a secondary inspection where a database review confirmed an outstanding warrant for his arrest issued by the U.S. Marshals Service for a probation violation in a federal conviction for bank robbery.

Abdulla was convicted in 2002 to serve almost nine years in prison by a federal jury in Chicago for aggravated bank robbery related to a 1995 incident in Wheaton, IL, said CBP. His case gained notoriety after being featured in the TV show “Americas Most Wanted” and his eventual arrest by FBI agents in Los Angeles in January, 2000, it said.

Abdulla was handed over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for extradition proceedings with the U.S. Marshals Service, said CBP.

“Customs and Border Protection is an agency committed to securing our borders while at the same time cooperating with other law enforcement agencies in the enforcement of US laws. CBP officers are always vigilant to detect individuals that have broken our laws and attempt to defeat our justice system.” Said Marcelino Borges, director of field operations for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

CBP arrests