Friday, November 12, 2010
EXCLUSIVE: CBP Field Operations in Buffalo, N.Y. Arrest Man Wanted by the United States Postal Service
On Nov. 10, CBP Officers encountered Evangelista Desa, a 55-year-old United States citizen from Hialeah, Fla., as he applied for admission into the U.S. at the Peace Bridge border crossing. Desa was a passenger aboard a commercial bus and advised the officers that he was returning to his home in Florida after spending time in Toronto. A primary name query revealed that Desa may the subject of an active arrest warrant out of Florida.
During a secondary inspection, CBP officers verified the validity of the nation-wide federal warrant and confirmed the extradition. The warrant was issued in October 2004 by the U.S. Postal Service in Ft. Lauderdale. The warrant charges Mr. Desa with using mail to distribute obscene material.
Mr. Desa admitted that he fled the United States in 2008 and has been living in Canada ever since. Mr. Desa was arrested and turned over to the Buffalo police pending extradition to Florida.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.