C.B.P.News Release

CBP Officers in Nogales Have Their Hands Full with 11 Fugitives

(Wednesday, February 18, 2009)

Nogales, Ariz. – CBP officers at the Nogales port of entry arrested 11 fugitives in six days on outstanding warrants.

Customs and Border Protection has been known as the premier agency involved in drug interdiction. However, most people do not know about the agency's role in bringing fugitives to justice and just how many criminals the officers encounter on a daily basis.

Starting on February 13, CBP officers arrested two individuals on outstanding warrants. The first person was wanted on burglary charges and second was wanted for absconding while on parole.

On Saturday, CBP officers made three arrests based on outstanding warrants. The first arrest was a repeat offender who was arrested for an outstanding warrant for violating a court order. The other two arrests that day were for contempt of court and obstructing justice.

On Sunday, CBP officers worked with the U.S. Marshal Service and arrested a woman on charges of kidnapping. In addition to the women with the warrant for kidnapping, CBP officers also arrested another person who had an outstanding warrant for possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute.

Monday February 16, was just another day in Nogales with two arrests made based on warrants. The first person was arrested for failure to appear in court and just a few hours later, another individual was arrested for the same offense.

Then on February 18, CBP officers in Nogales once again made two arrests based on outstanding warrants. Just before noon, officers stopped a person matching the description of a fugitive wanted by the U.S. Marshal Service. After verifying his identity, the person was arrested and turned over to the U.S. Marshal Service. Then as the evening approached, officers encountered yet another person with an outstanding warrant for grand theft.

Although the number of arrests is impressive, it is not unheard of in Nogales. Since the beginning of the fiscal year in October, CBP officers in Nogales have arrested 156 people on extraditable warrants. This number does not include the individuals that the officers have encountered with warrants that are not extraditable. In addition to the arrests for outstanding warrants, during the same time frame officers also seized around a half a million dollars worth of marijuana and cocaine at the Nogales port of entry. In all of these cases involving warrants, the individuals were arrested and arrangements were made to transport them back to the jurisdictions that they had fled from.

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

Christopher Larkins
Public Affairs Liaison
Field Operations
Nogales Port of Entry
Phone: (520) 980-7624

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