Sunday, January 30, 2005
Snitches Reward $2Mil..for Fed Agent Killer
Federal officials said Saturday that they had reached an agreement with the Mexican government to extradite a man...Augustin Vasquez suspected of orchestrating the killing of an undercover American drug agent in Arizona in 1994.
The longer Mr. Vásquez eluded capture, the higher the authorities raised the stakes. He made the F.B.I.'s 10 most-wanted list in 1996. When a $250,000 reward failed to get results, the State Department offered more than
$2 million........the reward money had been divided among a number of informants in Mexico and the United States...
Mr. Vásquez was turned over to American officials in Mexico on Saturday and was being taken to Phoenix, the authorities said.
Drug enforcement officials said the physically slight Mr. Vásquez - 5 feet 3 inches and 110 pounds - had specialized in the robbery of drug dealers and had taken part in numerous murders, kidnappings and other crimes. The Mexican authorities arrested a dozen Vásquez look-alikes over the years.
The longer Mr. Vásquez eluded capture, the higher the authorities raised the stakes. He made the F.B.I.'s 10 most-wanted list in 1996. When a $250,000 reward failed to get results, the State Department offered more than
$2 million........the reward money had been divided among a number of informants in Mexico and the United States...
Mr. Vásquez was turned over to American officials in Mexico on Saturday and was being taken to Phoenix, the authorities said.
Drug enforcement officials said the physically slight Mr. Vásquez - 5 feet 3 inches and 110 pounds - had specialized in the robbery of drug dealers and had taken part in numerous murders, kidnappings and other crimes. The Mexican authorities arrested a dozen Vásquez look-alikes over the years.
