McNabb in the News (3-12-06)

Senior Principal Douglas McNabb has been quoted in a Baltimore Sun article about a suspect, Joel Nunez Valles, who has apparently fled to northern Mexico.

Between 1980 and 1994, Mexico returned eight suspects to the United States, a leading extradition expert said, although the pace has picked up in recent years.

"Mexico has had a reputation for years of not extraditing people to the United States, and when they do, they move incredibly slow," said Douglas McNabb, a Washington attorney who specializes in international criminal defense. "That's been true up until a year ago, and it wasn't until recently that they would extradite someone facing life in prison. Mexico equated that to death."
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Before beginning the extradition process, McNabb said, detectives should first request a "red notice" through the Washington bureau of Interpol, the International Criminal Police Organization. The notice alerts Interpol's 184 member countries that Valles is wanted in the United States, effectively keeping him in Mexico.

"If he attempts to leave Mexico and enter another country, security at that port of entry will run his name, the notice will pop up, and he will be arrested," said McNabb, who frequently represents people facing extradition.

The next step is the formal extradition process. County detectives must complete multiple forms and include enough compelling evidence for the packet to win approval from Maryland, the U.S. State Department and Mexican diplomats, who review the materials to determine compliance with the treaty. McNabb said that the Department of Justice will play a role assisting Howard police.
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McNabb said that detectives must be careful - even have the packet translated into Spanish by a certified translator - or the materials will get kicked back to them repeatedly for omissions or errors. He also said that the fact that Valles and Gonzalez are Mexican citizens will not matter, nor will direct contact with local authorities in the state of Chihuahua, where county police believe Valles is hiding.

"Howard County police want this guy back as quickly as possible, and if they are thinking six months or so, that's not going to happen," McNabb said. "It could be years, depending on whether the suspect has money to engage quality counsel or appeal. It could be a long time."^[1]

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[1] Melissa Harris, Suspect in 2005 Homicide Flees to Northern Mexico, Baltimore Sun, Mar. 12, 2006.