ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – New Mexico’s U.S. Marshal says federal and local authorities arrested nearly 90 fugitives in the Albuquerque-area during a recent national effort called “Operation North Star II.” The 30-day operation ended last week with authorities arresting a man accused of starting a fire in a northeast Albuquerque home, then hiding in a freezer.
Alongside the feds, Albuquerque Police, the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office and New Mexico Probation and Parole partnered in the operation. At a news conference Tuesday, New Mexico’s U.S. Marshal Sonya Chavez says teams arrested 61 people on state warrants and 27 others with warrant for federal charges. 11 guns were also seized in the operation.
Four of the warrants were for outstanding homicide cases, according to the U.S. Marshals Service. Authorities also arrested an accused bank robber. A full list of those who were arrested was not provided. Describing how the task force prioritized who they sought to arrest, Chavez said the teams looked at the underlying offenses that many alleged probation violators were charged with.
“The majority of those underlying offenses were violent crimes, sexual offenses, armed robberies,” Chavez said. “One of the most significant cases we had in the last 30 days was the recovery of a minor child, and the reunification of that young girl with her mother, they had been separated for almost two years.”
In the metro area, authorities also arrested Walter Abbott among others. Abbott was captured in Rio Rancho by members of the Southwest Fugitive Task Force. He was wanted on charges in Sandoval County, including first-degree attempted homicide and aggravated burglary with a deadly weapon.
The Marshals Service also arrested 29-year-old Brandon Sanchez in the operation. The agency says Sanchez is a suspect in at 14 recent armed robberies in the Albuquerque-area. Sanchez had a warrant for a supervised release violation with an underlying conviction of felon in possession of a firearm.
Outstanding warrants have been the focus of several high-profile news conferences in the metro-area. On January 11, U.S. Marshals Director Ronald Davis visited Albuquerque, promising more warrant serving deputies for the city. The City of Albuquerque is also hoping state lawmakers will create a $20 million warrant backlog fund that would pay overtime for teams to serve some of the more than 60,000 active warrants in Bernalillo County.
In total, 833 fugitives were captured in the entire U.S. operation across 9 cities and Puerto Rico. According to the U.S. Marshals Service, the operation “focused on fugitives wanted for the most serious, violent, and harmful offenses including homicide, forcible sexual assault, robbery, or aggravated assault.”
