TUCSON, AZ — A man wanted on Arizona and Michigan drug warrants since 2009 has been returned to Pima County following his arrest in Mexico nearly three years ago.
U.S. Marshals Service deputies brought Jorge Lamadrid-Carranza back to the U.S. on September 24 and transported him to Arizona to face charges.
Mexican authorities had arrested him in October 2023, in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, after U.S. Marshals Service personnel confirmed his location there.
The U.S. Marshals Service is coordinating with Pima County authorities and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Michigan regarding the applicable warrants and court proceedings.
"Lamadrid-Carranza's arrest in Mexico and return to Arizona took years of persistence and cooperation across borders," U.S. Marshal Van Bayless for the District of Arizona said. "We appreciate the work of Mexican authorities and our law enforcement partners in bringing him back before the courts. Time and distance did not end our commitment to seeing these cases addressed."
Lamadrid-Carranza was arrested in Tucson in September 2007 during an investigation that led authorities to seize nearly 11,000 pounds of marijuana from a vehicle and a home.
Investigators estimated the marijuana's value at approximately $5.5 million at the time.
The home had reportedly been modified with commercial equipment for refrigerated storage and processing.
In subsequent court testimony, a detective described records indicating that the broader marijuana operation handled approximately $61 million worth of marijuana over a period of months. Court records have also described alleged ties between members of the Lamadrid family and the Sinaloa cartel.
Following a 2008 arrest in a federal case in Michigan, Lamadrid-Carranza posted a $10,000 bond and returned to Arizona pending further proceedings.
He pleaded guilty in March 2009 to conspiracy to distribute marijuana in a case involving nearly four tons of the drug from 2001 to 2004.
A federal warrant was issued in August 2009 after he failed to appear for sentencing.
In a separate Arizona case, prosecutors withdrew a plea agreement and proceeded to trial in Lamadrid-Carranza's absence on 18 felony charges related to an alleged large-scale marijuana distribution operation.
The Pima County Superior Court issued a failure-to-appear warrant on September 17, 2009.
"This case exemplifies the rewards of patience, perseverance, and hard work. I'm proud to say Josh Moser, who originally prosecuted the 2009 case, is now our Chief Criminal Deputy at PCAO (Pima County Attorney's Office). He will now have the opportunity to get justice and closure in a case that he never gave up on. Thank you to everyone who helped make this 17-year search and capture happen," Pima County Attorney Laura Conover said.
