News Releases

Fugitive wanted for 3 murders deported to Mexican authorities

DALLAS - A man arrested here and wanted for allegedly committing three murders in April was deported Wednesday into the custody of Mexican authorities at the Laredo, Texas, Port-of-Entry to face those charges. This case was investigated - and the deportation was carried out - by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Arturo Martinez-Rodriguez, 30, was deported following an ICE investigation initiated by an anonymous caller to the Dallas Police Department's Homicide Unit (DPDHU). DPDHU requested assistance from ICE after the caller stated that Martinez-Rodriguez killed three men in Ocampo, Mexico.

Before calling law enforcement authorities, the tipster first conducted an Internet search of one of the men Martinez-Rodriguez claimed to have killed, Samuel Rangel-Luna. The caller discovered an article that confirmed that three men had been gunned down in April 2008 with a 9mm pistol and an AK-47 assault rifle. The other two men killed were Pedro Cardenas-Trujillo and Francisco Trujillo-Rodriguez.

The caller also gave a physical description of Martinez-Rodriguez, and provided addresses where he might be found.

Agents from the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) and the ICE Attaché Office in Mexico City confirmed that Martinez-Rodriguez was wanted by Mexican authorities for murder, kidnapping and destruction of property.

Agents from ICE, USMS and DPD's Gang Unit encountered Martinez-Rodriguez on Sept. 24 at one of the addresses provided by the anonymous tipster. A 9mm pistol and an AK-47 assault rifle were discovered in his bedroom during a search of his Dallas residence. ICE agents arrested Martinez-Rodriguez after determining that he was in the United States illegally. Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) analyzed the seized weapons and determined that they had not been used in connection with any ongoing murder investigation in the United States. After this determination Martinez-Rodriguez was placed into deportation proceedings.

"Our streets are a little safer since this murder suspect is behind bars in a Mexican jail," said John Chakwin Jr., special agent in charge of the ICE Office of Investigations in Dallas. "Our partnerships with many law enforcement agencies were critical to closing this case. However, I especially want to commend the vigilant civilian who took appropriate action to keep his own community safe." Chakwin oversees 128 counties in north Texas and the State of Oklahoma.