MANASSAS, Va. — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced Thursday the arrest of a man they say is one of El Salvador's most wanted criminals.
The arrest, which was carried out by ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), was made in Virginia during a targeted operation.
Herberth Bonilla-Garcia, 40, was arrested in Manassas back on Dec. 1. ICE said he is listed as one of El Salvador's top 100 most wanted criminals.
"Herberth Bonilla-Garcia has a history of unlawfully entering the U.S. and this time he apparently did so to escape justice in his home country," said Assistant Field Office Director Erik Weiss of ERO Washington, D.C. "The United States is not a safe haven for the world's criminals. ERO Washington, D.C. remains committed to protecting our residents by enforcing our laws and exhausting every effort to ensure fugitives face the justice they seek to evade."
ICE said he was previously deported from the U.S. in both 2006 and 2012.
In January 2015 and April 2015, the government of El Salvador issued arrest warrants for Bonilla-Garcia on charges of illicit association and aggravated extortion, according to ICE.
In October, ICE says the FBI sent them a lead that Bonilla-Garcia was in Northern Virginia.
According to a news release, after getting the tip, ICE confirmed with the Salvadoran government that Bonilla-Garcia was listed on El Salvador's Top 100 Most Wanted Criminals and verified the warrants.
Bonilla-Garcia is being held in ERO custody until his deportation to El Salvador.
