Sean McGoffin, Border Patrol Chief of the Tucson Sector, said that agents located a Mexican fugitive living illegally in Tucson who was wanted for organized crime and transferred him to Mexican authorities for prosecution. The statement was made on X.
“Sure……he came here to work……after being a criminal in Mexico,” said Sean McGoffin. “Another great capture!!!!! Thank you, Border Patrol FOB, for helping our Mexican partners bring another wanted fugitive to justice!”
In recent years, U.S.–Mexico cooperation on fugitive extradition has intensified, especially in cases tied to organized crime. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, in August 2025, the department announced that 26 fugitives, including violent offenders, were returned from Mexico to face charges in the United States. In 2023, Mexico extradited Ovidio Guzmán López, son of JoaquÃn “El Chapo” Guzmán, to Chicago on trafficking charges. These examples highlight growing bilateral coordination against cartel-linked suspects.
The Foreign Operations Branch (FOB) of Border Patrol’s Tucson Sector has played a growing role in fugitive arrests and handovers to Mexico. According to Tucson Sector officials, sector updates in July and August 2025 detailed successful captures, including one fugitive apprehended and transferred to Mexican officials on July 25 and another arrested during an August 25 operation. These events underscore how the FOB works binationally to track fugitives across borders.
Extraditions of Mexican nationals facing organized crime charges have steadily increased in the last five years, peaking in 2023. As reported by La Jornada and the Justice Department, Mexico extradited more people to the United States that year than in any of the previous ten years, reflecting renewed cooperation on criminal justice. This trend has continued into 2025 with multiple handovers, including Gulf Cartel leaders and a batch of 26 fugitives announced by the DOJ.
Sean L. McGoffin is the Chief Patrol Agent for the U.S. Border Patrol’s Tucson Sector, overseeing one of the busiest areas along the U.S.–Mexico border. According to KOLD 13 News, McGoffin began his career in Arizona in 1996 and previously led the Yuma, Havre, and Big Bend sectors before returning to Tucson. His priorities include disrupting smuggling operations, strengthening checkpoint enforcement, and improving rescue operations.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), a federal law enforcement agency under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), is tasked with safeguarding the nation’s borders and preventing illegal entry as outlined on its history webpage. Since its establishment in 1924, CBP has operated across 328 ports of entry protecting 7,000 miles of land borders and 95,000 miles of maritime borders.
