US deportee arrested at Viru Viru with Interpol red notice for sexual offence
A Bolivian deported from Miami was apprehended upon landing in Santa Cruz with an Interpol red notice and arrest warrant for a pending conviction in Bolivia.
Arrested at airport upon disembarking from Miami flight
A Bolivian citizen identified as Sergio I.F.M. was apprehended upon arrival at Viru Viru international airport in Santa Cruz early on Sunday, according to El Deber. The man had been deported from the United States and landed on a flight from Miami, unaware that prior coordination between Bolivian and US authorities had already arranged his capture.
The operation was made possible because Sergio I.F.M. was subject to an Interpol red notice linked to a criminal case involving a sexual offence, as well as an arrest warrant issued by a La Paz authority for the enforcement of a sentence.
Prosecutors coordinated detention before flight landing
María Luisa Herrera, national chief of the International Affairs Unit of the General State Prosecutor's Office, confirmed on Monday that the arrest was coordinated with police authorities before the flight landed. "This is Sergio I.F.M., who arrived on a flight from Miami and was subject to an Interpol red notice linked to a criminal case involving a sexual offence, as well as an arrest warrant issued by the judicial authority of La Paz for the enforcement of a sentence," Herrera stated.
According to the Prosecutor's Office, US authorities forwarded information about the citizen through international police cooperation channels, which allowed the Central National Office of Interpol in Bolivia to activate the procedure in time.
Handed over to Felcv after 05:45
Agents intervened as the man shortly after his arrival at Viru Viru and transferred him to police facilities at the airport, where he was registered, identified, and documented. At approximately 05:45 on Sunday, the citizen was formally handed over to officers of the Special Force to Combat Violence (Felcv), who executed the arrest warrant and placed him at the disposal of the competent authorities.
International cooperation mechanism activated
Herrera noted that the case reflects the strengthening of information-exchange mechanisms between institutions from different countries. The immediate activation of such cooperation prevented the citizen from being released following his deportation.
According to the General State Prosecutor's Office, these procedures allow Bolivian returnees to the country to be identified in a timely manner when they have pending cases or sentences before Bolivian justice. Sergio I.F.M. remains currently at the disposal of the authorities responsible for enforcing the sentence and the corresponding judicial proceedings.
Source: El Deber