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The agency announced on Wednesday, Aug. 31 that this month, officers apprehended Jose Efrain Mejia Alas, 34, who had been living in Germantown, and Juan Anitportan Lara Ramos, 50, an Essex resident, who are both wanted in Maryland for sexual abuse claims.
Alas was arrested on Sunday, Aug. 21 as he attempted to board a flight to El Salvador, while Ramos was taken into custody by US Customs and Border Protection officers on Thursday, Aug. 18 after he arrived on a flight from El Salvador.
Alas is wanted in Montgomery County on two counts of second-degree rape, sexual abuse of a minor, and other charges after entering the US illegally six years ago, according to CBP officials. Ramos is wanted in Baltimore for allegedly sexually abusing a minor.
In both cases, officers confirmed with the wanting jurisdictions that the warrants remained active, and they verified the identities of both travelers as the subjects of those felony-charged warrants, officials noted.
Both men were turned over to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police.
Alas faces deportation back to El Salvador once his case concludes, investigators noted. Ramos is a lawful, permanent resident in Baltimore County.
“Customs and Border Protection officers continue to support our local law enforcement partners by identifying and arresting travelers who are wanted on a variety of criminal charges, including these heinous sex crimes allegations,” Daniel Escobedo, Area Port Director for CBP’s Area Port of Washington, DC said in a statement.
“Border security remains a critical mission for CBP, and one that we take very seriously because it helps to ensure the safety of our communities.”
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