U.S. Marshals: 2 Federal Escapees Captured in Mexico and Returned to the United States

Corpus Christi, TX – The U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) Gulf Coast Violent Offenders Fugitive Task Force – Corpus Christi Division announces the apprehension of two federal escapees in Mexico following separate fugitive investigations and coordination with U.S. and Mexican law enforcement partners.

Daniel Pena escaped from the satellite camp adjacent to the Federal Correctional Institution Three Rivers in Live Oak County on March 10 while serving a 70-month federal sentence for possession with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine. Deputy U.S. Marshals determined Pena had fled to Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico, where he was living and working as a mechanic. Through coordination with the USMS Office of International Operations – Mexico Foreign Field Office and Mexican authorities, Pena was apprehended in Matamoros on Sept. 23, ending his more than six months as a federal fugitive.

Hugo Gilberto Aguilar remained a fugitive for more than three years after escaping federal custody in Three Rivers while serving a sentence of more than 120 months for possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. The investigation spanned the United States, Colombia, and Mexico, where investigators determined Aguilar had used an assumed identity and fraudulent Mexican government identification to evade capture.

Aguilar was initially detained at Monterrey International Airport but was later erroneously released from Mexican federal immigration. U.S. Marshals continued the investigation and, through coordination with Mexican law enforcement, located Aguilar in Nayarit, Mexico, where local authorities apprehended him on Sept. 28, ending his more than three years as a fugitive.

Both fugitives are expected to face further judicial proceedings related to their outstanding federal warrants and escapes.

The U.S. Marshals Service remains committed to pursuing fugitives wherever they flee and working with domestic and international law enforcement partners to bring them to justice.

The U.S. Marshals led Gulf Coast Violent Offenders Fugitive Task Force in Corpus Christi, Texas, is integrated by remarkable investigators from the Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Corpus Christi Police Department, Aransas County Sheriff’s Office, Jim Wells County Sheriff’s Office, Nueces County Sheriff’s Office, Kleberg County Attorney’s Office, and other partner federal agencies that work together for the protection of our communities.