07/31/03
In
1994, New York resident Nguyen Hao Duc allegedly planned
in cold
blood, then carried out the murder of two innocent
young men as part of a narcotics conspiracy. He then fled,
settling eventually in the Pearl Delta area of Guangdong
Province and supported by associates in the United States
who sent him monthly living expenses. When the investigation
by the FBI New York Office led to China, the FBI Legal
Attaché officer
in Beijing contacted China's Ministry of Public Security.
Based on information provided by the FBI to the Chinese
officials, Nguyen was located in Guangdong Province. In
short order, officers of Guangdong's Public Security Bureau
arrested
him in the town of Jiangmen, predicated on a Foreign Police
Cooperation request made by the FBI Legal Attaché stationed
in Beijing. Then, on July 20, 2003, officers of the Ministry
of Public Security transferred custody of Nguyen to two
FBI Agents and a New York Police Detective, and Nguyen
returned
this month to the United States to face trial.
Assistant Director Grant Ashley, FBI Criminal
Investigative Division, said about this collaboration in
the cause of justice: "I
wish to express my sincere appreciation for the assistance
of the Ministry of Public Security which led to the arrest
of this murder suspect. Officers of your Interpol National
Central Bureau and International Liaison Division took prompt
action, and I am deeply impressed by their efficiency in
effecting such a quick arrest."
The FBI's Legal Attaché Office in
Beijing was formally opened on September 23, 2002. The
repatriation of Nguyen
represents the first time in history that Chinese authorities
have directly transferred custody of a fugitive-suspect to
U.S. law enforcement to face trial in the United States.
|