Mexican Woman Accused of at Least Five Homicides in Ciudad Juárez Arrested in Texas

AP

Mexican Michelle Angélica Pineda "La Chely", wanted by federal authorities in the United States and Mexico for murder, was arrested at a hotel on the southern border of Texas, reported the FBI.

The suspect was arrested on Thursday by agents from the FBI Gang Task Force in El Paso and the United States Border Patrol at a hotel in El Paso, where several firearms, machetes, and drugs were confiscated.

Pineda, a Mexican national, was sought by the Mexican government for her involvement in five homicides and suspected of many others in Ciudad Juárez, according to information cited by the KFOX14 news channel.

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An investigation determined that the suspect had entered the United States illegally and was operating a drug trafficking network on behalf of a Mexican criminal gang.

Pineda was deported and handed over to Mexican authorities on Friday.

John Morales, the FBI director in El Paso, told the news channel that the swift expulsion of Pineda is an example of the importance of collaboration between federal agencies on both sides of the border.