Heraclio Osorio-Arellanes, Murder of Border Patrol Agent, Arizona 2010

Heraclio Osorio-Arellanes, one of seven defendants charged in the murder of US Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry, has been arrested in Mexico.

The arrest was made by Mexican authorities in Chihuahua, Mexico on Wednesday based on a provisional arrest warrant issued at the request of the United States.

Osorio-Arellanes is charged with participating in the murder of Agent Terry on December 14, 2010. The murder was part of a larger conspiracy involving the smuggling of weapons and narcotics across the US-Mexico border.

Osorio-Arellanes will be transported to Mexico City for extradition proceedings. With his arrest, six of the seven defendants in this case are in custody.

Defendants Ivan Soto-Barraza and Jesus Lionel Sanchez-Meza were arrested in Mexico and subsequently extradited to the United States in 2014. They were convicted by a jury of first-degree murder and other offenses in December 2015 and were sentenced to life in prison.

Defendants Manuel Osorio-Arellanes and Rosario Rafael Burboa-Alvarez pleaded guilty to first-degree murder. Manuel Osorio-Arellanes was sentenced to 360 months in prison, while Burboa-Alvarez was sentenced to 324 months. Defendant Rito Osorio-Arellanes pleaded guilty to conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery and was sentenced to 96 months in prison.

Defendant Jesus Favela-Astorga is a fugitive in Mexico. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Marshals Service, and Mexican authorities are working to locate this defendant.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions praised the efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Marshals Service, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection in the apprehension of Osorio-Arellanes. He also commended the government of Mexico and specifically the Mexican Navy (SEMAR) and Mexico’s Office of the Attorney General (PGR) for their efforts in the operation that apprehended this dangerous defendant.

Osorio-Arellanes is one of seven defendants charged in the District of Arizona with murder and other crimes arising from the murder of Agent Terry.

With Osorio-Arellanes’ arrest, six of the seven defendants in this case are in custody. The case is being prosecuted by attorneys from the Southern District of California, with significant assistance provided by the Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs.

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