Violent gang member extradited from Mexico for US Embassy employee’s murder

A number of U.S. Embassies located just south of the border require workers to commute on Mexico’s dangerous streets. Two years ago an embassy employee, her husband and another man were gunned down in their car in Juarez, Mexico, and finally one alleged killer will face justice in a Texas federal courtroom. Arturo Gallegos Castrellon, aka “Benny,” arrived in the U.S. and made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert Castaneda in El Paso, Texas and was charged with a 12-count third superseding indictment that was unsealed in March 2011. “We allege that Gallegos Castrellon participated in the U.S. Consulate shootings in March 2010,” said Department of Justice Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer. “His extradition to the United States is an important step forward in our pursuit of justice for the victims of those tragic murders in Juarez, Mexico. Innocent men and women on both sides of our border with Mexico should not have to live in fear of Barrio Azteca and other violent criminal gangs.” The U.S. government alleges Gallegos Castrellon participated in racketeering, narcotics distribution, and retaliation against persons providing information to U.S. law enforcement, extortion, money laundering, obstruction of justice, and murder. According to court documents, “Gallegos Castrellon allegedly participated in Barrio Azteca (BA) gang activities, including narcotics trafficking and acts of violence by BA members, both in Mexico and the United States. Gallegos Castrellon allegedly participated in the March 2010 murders in Juarez, Mexico, of U.S. Consulate employee Leslie Ann Enriquez Catton; her husband Arthur Redelfs; and Jorge Alberto Salcido Ceniceros, the husband of a U.S. Consulate employee.” Gallegos Castrellon’s extradition in the high-profile case was made possible by the cooperation between U.S. law enforcement and the Mexican government. If convicted, Gallegos Castrellon faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. For more stories: http://www.examiner.com/homeland-security-in-national/kimberly-dvorak © Copyright 2012 Kimberly Dvorak All Rights Reserved.