U.S. Department of Justice
Drug Enforcement Administration
www.dea.gov
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 29, 2005
AUGUSTIN VASQUEZ-MENDOZA EXTRADITED TO ARIZONA
For the Murder of DEA Special Agent Richard Fass in 1994
January 29 - DEA
Administrator Karen P. Tandy announced the extradition of Augustin
Vasquez-Mendoza from Mexico to the United States to stand trial for his role in
the murder of DEA Special Agent Richard Fass, 10 years ago, in Glendale,
Arizona. Vasquez-Mendoza was removed from Mexico City by DEA Agents and was
transported to Phoenix, Arizona, where he will appear before a Maricopa County
Judge to answer a July 5, 1994 Maricopa County Grand Jury indictment for First
Degree Murder, Conspiracy/Armed Robbery, Attempted Murder, Attempted Armed
Robbery, Kidnapping and First Degree Burglary.
On June 30, 1994, Special Agent Richard E. Fass, while operating in an
undercover capacity, was shot five times, in a cold blooded, pre-meditated plan
by Vasquez-Mendoza and his associates to rob Special Agent Fass of $160,000 in
cash that they believed was for the purchase of met amphetamine. Vasquez-Mendoza
was the head of a criminal organization that owned and operated several
clandestine met amphetamine laboratories in the Mexican State of Senora.
Vasquez-Mendoza then smuggled the met amphetamine into the United States for
distribution. Vasquez-Mendoza and three additional defendants, Rafael
Rubio-Mendez, Juan Vasquez-Rubio and Eduardo Aceves-Vasquez, were identified as
being involved in planning the robbery/murder of Special Agent Fass. Agustin
Vasquez-Mendoza, managed to evade capture and fled to Mexico. The three
co-defendants were arrested and charged. All three defendants were subsequently
convicted and sentenced for their part in the murder of Special Agent Fass. On
July 9, 2000, Agustin Vasquez-Mendoza was arrested in the State of Puebla,
Mexico, and an extradition was requested for his return to the U.S. to face
charges.
"More than a decade ago, DEA Special Agent Richard Fass was killed in cold-blood
trying to put violent wholesale met amphetamine traffickers out of business.
After a relentless six year manhunt the mastermind behind Agent Fass' murder is
returned to the scene of the crime to face justice," said DEA Administrator
Karen P. Tandy.
Paul K. Charlton, the United States Attorney for the District of Arizona stated
“This is a good day for Law Enforcement. We are grateful to the Mexican
government and look forward to presenting this case to a jury.”
The manhunt for Vasquez-Mendoza had been one of the most intense in recent
U.S./Mexico law enforcement history. Special Agents and personnel from the
Phoenix F.D. immediately began searching for the fugitive while the Glendale and
Phoenix Police Department’s homicide units initiated their murder investigation
against his co-defendants. DEA personnel enlisted the assistance of the
intelligence community and many Mexican law enforcement entities.
Vasquez-Mendoza was placed on the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Top
Ten List on August 3, 1996. On October 1, 1998, DEA, FBI and the Department of
State offered a reward up to 2.2 million dollars for his arrest. The arrest and
extradition of Vasquez-Mendoza culminates a long and arduous investigation led
by DEA Phoenix Field Division with assistance from the Mexico City Country
Office (MCCO). Vasquez-Mendoza was profiled in three “America’s Most Wanted”
television productions and two “Unsolved Mystery” productions. Hot lines were
established and manned around the clock handling thousands of leads that came
from as far south as Panama City and as far north as Montreal, Canada.
“Today we achieved the outcome we’ve been working so diligently on for almost 11
years. The exhaustive work of Glendale Police Detectives, partnering with DEA,
made today’s extradition of Augustin VASQUEZ-Mendoza possible,” said Glendale
Chief of Police Andrew Kirkland.
“We are very happy that Agustin Vasquez-Mendoza is in U.S. custody, and we
intend to prosecute him to the fullest extent of the law,” stated Maricopa
County Attorney Andrew Thomas.
“I would like to thank the Government of Mexico, in particular, Attorney General
Rafel Macedo de la Concha for monitoring the progress of this investigation and
moving forward with the extradition,” said Administrator Tandy.
Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSA) Keith Vercauteren and Kevin Rapp,
both of which are cross-designated as Maricopa County State Prosecutors, are
currently assigned to the Fass murder case and will be responsible for the
prosecution of VASQUEZ-Mendoza upon his arrival in the United States.
Vasquez-Mendoza faces life with the possibility of parole after serving 25 years
of imprisonment if convicted of the charges.
For additional information, please contact DEA’s Office of Public Affairs at
202-307-7977.
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