For Immediate Release

Cap Haitien, HAITI – The U.S. Marshals Florida Regional Fugitive Task Force announces the arrest of a federal fugitive from the Pensacola area on the run for over 7 years in the city of Cap Haitian early this morning. U.S. Marshals, the Drug Enforcement Administration and Haitian Authorities caught up with Guerly Alexis at a small restaurant he was running about  100 miles north of the capital city Port-Au –Prince about 8 a.m. (CST). In September 2002 Alexis was living in Crestview and was indicted by a federal grand jury charging him and his two brothers Junior and Lesly Alexis with five separate counts of Conspiracy and Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance and Possession with Intent to Distribute powder cocaine, crack cocaine and ecstasy. The indictment also charges ALEXIS with an amount of 5 kilograms or more of powder cocaine and 650 grams of Crack Cocaine.

Shortly after the indictment came out in 2002, both Junior and Lesly Alexis were arrested by the U.S. Marshals in Ft. Lauderdale, were convicted and are currently serving federal jail sentences, Junior 120 months and Lesly 384 months. The Marshals Task Force had tracked Guerly to a nightclub in Crestview late one evening in March of 2003 but he was able to slip away and disappeared. Last summer however, the FRFTF caught a break and developed new leads that he was back in his home country of Haiti.

“We always had an idea he was there, but he used numerous aliases and has strong ties there,” spokesman Dominic Guadagnoli of the Florida Regional Fugitive Task Force said. “I traveled there last September to try and find him but was unsuccessful at that time. Then the earthquake hit there and it set everything back but, we didn’t give up,” said Guadagnoli.

Alexis was flown back to Port-Au-Prince this afternoon and will be there until his extradition back to the U.S. which is expected by the end of the week. If convicted, Alexis faces up to life in prison. The U.S. Marshals International Investigation Branch coordinated this arrest which was a cooperative effort and included assistance from the, DEA Office in Port-Au-Prince, the Diplomatic Security Service and the Haitian National Police.

Additional information about the U.S. Marshals Service can be found at http://www.usmarshals.gov.