U.S. Marshals Assist in Capture of Fourth Defendant Charged with Federal Narcotics Offenses Resulting in Death in Connection with the Poisoning of Four Children at Bronx Daycare

New York – On Sept. 26 Mexican authorities, with the assistance of the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force (NY/NJ RFTF) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), located and captured Felix Herrera Garcia, the spouse of the owner and operator of a Bronx daycare facility where a 1-year-old boy died of poisoning from exposure to fentanyl on Sept. 15.

Within days of the tragic death, a federal warrant was issued by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York for Garcia’s arrest for narcotics conspiracy resulting in death.

Immediately, the USMS NY/NJ Regional Fugitive Task Force initiated a full manhunt in close collaboration with the New York City Police Department (NYPD) and the DEA who developed information that Garcia had fled to Texas and later into Mexico.  Acting on this critical information, the USMS NY/NJ Regional Task Force working with the DEA assisted the Mexican authorities, who located the suspect on a bus in the city of Sinaloa. He was apprehended without further incident by Policia Municipal de Barandilla, Sinaloa. U.S. Department of Homeland Security in Mexico City and Mexican authorities provided significant assistance. The U.S. Department of Justice Office of International Affairs also provided assistance.

“This is an exemplary case of what domestic and international coordination between the U.S. Marshals Service and other law enforcement agencies can achieve in apprehending fugitives,” said Ralph Sozio, U.S. Marshal for the Southern District of New York. “It’s a true testament that borders do not stop the USMS NY/NJ RFTF.  Our network of law enforcement agencies worldwide is robust and stronger than ever.”

The USMS Office of International Operations is responsible for processing, reviewing, and forwarding information concerning the pursuit and apprehension of international fugitives. Interaction with numerous law enforcement agencies and representatives of foreign governments is a daily occurrence. The Office of International Operations leverages a network of investigative teams and agencies across the globe to prioritize the location, apprehension and removal of violent transnational fugitives.

The New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force began operations in April 2002 and was the first regional fugitive task force to become fully operational following the Presidential Threat Protection Act of 2000. The NY/NJRFTF was the flagship that has allowed seven other regional fugitive task forces to be created across the country. With partnership agreements with over 90 federal, state, or local agencies and 13 fully operational offices, the NY/NJRFTF has successfully apprehended over 95,000 fugitives since inception.