The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) jointly announced on Saturday (January 17th) that one of the “Ten Most Wanted Fugitives,” Alejandro “Alex” Rosales Castillo, who had been on the run for nearly 10 years, was successfully captured in Mexico.
Castillo, 27 years old, is accused of brutally murdering his 23-year-old female colleague, Truc Quan “Sandy” Ly Le, in Charlotte, North Carolina in August 2016.
According to investigations, Castillo owed the victim $1,000 and had agreed to meet at a gas station in August of that year to repay the debt, after which Le went missing. Two days later, authorities found Le’s body in a wooded area in Cabarrus County, North Carolina, with a fatal gunshot wound to the head.
Castillo was only 17 years old at the time of the crime, working at a restaurant in Charlotte where the victim also worked. Despite being a minor at the time of the offense, due to the heinous and premeditated nature of the crime, North Carolina prosecutors decided to transfer him to adult court for prosecution.
Surveillance footage captured Castillo crossing the border into Mexico a day before the victim’s body was found. He was placed on the FBI’s “Ten Most Wanted Fugitives” list in October 2017 as the 516th person to be added to the list, with authorities offering a reward of up to $250,000 for information leading to his capture.
FBI Director Kash Patel stated in a release that the arrest was made possible through the support of the Trump administration towards law enforcement.
“The apprehension of Alejandro Castillo is the fifth top ten fugitive captured under this administration and FBI leadership since last year—exceeding the total from the previous four years. This is not a coincidence,” Patel said. “When you have a government that supports law enforcement to carry out their tasks, they can accomplish their work with unprecedented efficiency.”
Patel added, “We can now begin the judicial process to bring long-overdue justice for Sandy Ly’s family.”
On Friday (January 16th), FBI agents working in Mexico cooperated with Mexican authorities and successfully apprehended Castillo in Pachuca, Hidalgo, Mexico.
Castillo is currently detained in Mexico City, awaiting extradition back to North Carolina to face charges of first-degree murder.
This case marks significant progress in high-level law enforcement since January 2025 for the FBI. Apart from Castillo, other fugitives captured during the Trump administration include:
Donald Eugene Fields II:
Involved in child sex trafficking.
Arnoldo Jimenez:
Involved in first-degree murder.
Francisco Javier Roman-Bardales:
Senior leader of the MS-13 gang.
Cindy Rodriguez-Singh:
Involved in the murder of her biological child (captured in India).