Photographs of 75 people believed to be holding phony Mexican law enforcement credentials were posted online this week by the FBI, which said criminals have used them to commit murders and other crimes.
The agency said it had “highly credible information” that criminal organizations, including the Arellano Felix drug cartel, have used the fake credentials to commit crimes in the United States and Mexico, particularly along their shared border. The suspects are considered to be “armed and extremely dangerous,” officials said.
The credentials have been used in hundreds of crimes during the last several years, including murder, drug trafficking, kidnapping and violent assault, said FBI spokeswoman Jan Caldwell. She did not to discuss specific cases.
The agency posted the suspects’ photos on a new website in an effort to generate leads. They are also being posted at U.S.-Mexico border crossings.
The FBI said it has captured one unidentified suspect. He is a Mexican law enforcement officer who is believed to have provided the Arellano Felix cartel with a genuine law enforcement credential for purposes of making false ones.
The Arellano Felix gang dominated the world of illicit Mexican drug trafficking throughout the late 1990s, developing a reputation as the most bloodthirsty of the country’s major smuggling groups.
View the pictures and the FBI public safety warning: www.narctip.com
