Mexican Police Arrest Man Sought for Extradition to U.S.

Mexican authorities on Wednesday arrested a fugitive accused of raping a 4-year-old Riverside County girl, according to the victim’s family and government officials, after a hunt by authorities on both sides of the border and intense debate about Mexican extradition policy.

U.S. Justice Department officials told relatives of the victim that Mexican police arrested Serapio Zuniga Rios, 28, a migrant farm worker who fled south of the border after the kidnap and rape in September, 1992. A Mexican official confirmed that the arrest occurred Wednesday in Mexico but gave no further details.

“We are delighted to hear that the Mexican government has made an arrest,” said one of the victim’s relatives, who declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the case. “This could be the best Christmas present this family has ever received. We hope that this will have a historic impact.”

Although Mexico has never extradited one of its citizens, U.S. officials have urged Zuniga’s extradition because of the nature of the crime and the cooperation represented by the North American Free Trade Agreement.

In the weeks before the NAFTA vote in Congress, angry legislators said the failure to bring Zuniga to justice symbolized a law enforcement breakdown that has allowed Mexican criminal suspects wanted in the United States to find refuge in their homeland.

The victim’s parents, who learned Zuniga’s whereabouts within weeks of the crime, complained that U.S. and Mexican officials did not take action for months. A special unit of the Mexican Federal Judicial Police had been searching for Zuniga.