Public Safety

DA’s Office Extradites Record Number of Fugitives from Mexico

The District Attorney's Office announced today it extradited six fugitives from Mexico in 2011 - a record number - crediting a focus on relationship-building with law enforcement partners on both sides of the border.

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The District Attorney’s Office announced today it extradited six fugitives from Mexico in 2011 – a record number – crediting a focus on relationship-building with law enforcement partners on both sides of the border.

“Our Extradition Unit works tirelessly along with our law enforcement partners to track down fugitives and bring them back to San Diego where they can be held accountable for their crimes,” District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis said.

The most recent extraditions occurred on December 30, 2011, when two fugitives were extradited from Mexico to the United States to face serious and violent charges in San Diego. One of those extradited includes Jesus Gonzalez Trujillo, a member of the Los Palillos kidnapping and murder crew. The gang is charged with nine murders with special circumstances, numerous kidnapping and robbery counts, two shooting incidents, and the attempted murder of a police officer.

Gonzalez Trujillo was indicted by the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office in August 2009 along with 16 other Los Palillos members. He is charged with three murders with special circumstances of torture, robbery, kidnapping, and the commission of murder for the benefit of a gang as well as two counts of kidnap for ransom among other related charges. He faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Gonzalez Trujillo is the second Los Palillos defendant to be successfully extradited from Mexico in 2011, following the extradition of Nancy Michelle Mendoza Moreno in January. Four other fugitives were extradited to San Diego in 2011, including Jesus Arteaga Garcia and Mauricio Tadeo Alba, both charged with the murder of their respective estranged wives, Ricardo Perez Borbon, charged with child molestation, and Jorge Alberto Naranjo charged with murder.

The DA’s Office has successfully extradited hundreds of criminals over the years from within the United States and internationally. Since 2008, 14 suspects – all Mexican nationals – who had committed serious and violent offenses in San Diego, have been extradited from Mexico back to San Diego. Three more fugitives facing serious and violent charges are currently in the custody of Mexican authorities and are awaiting formal extradition to the United States.

“We are making great progress,” said Deputy District Attorney Sylvia Tenorio, who handles domestic and international extraditions. “Prior to 2008, we did not have any formal extraditions from Mexico. The string of recent extradition successes with Mexico shows we are heading in the right direction.”

Extraditing defendants from Mexico and other foreign countries can be challenging because it is a formal process governed by international treaties between the United States and other countries and several federal agencies are involved in the process.