EUREKA – Agents from the U.S. Border Patrol’s Eureka Station apprehended a man last month who was wanted on a felony warrant on dangerous drugs charges.
The arrest took place on April 15, after agents had been advised of a possible illegal entry at the United States/Canada border near Rexford.
On the night of April 14, agents were advised of two suspicious individuals emerging from the trees at an area approximately a quarter mile from the United States/Canada border.
In the early hours of April 15, agents encountered the two individuals and asked them regarding their presence in the remote location. Through questioning it was determined both had illegally entered the United States.
One of the individuals was a Canadian citizen who was processed for removal, while the other individual, Jacob Moritz, was a naturalized U.S. citizen with an outstanding arrest warrant out of New York. Agents turned Moritz over to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office and he was ultimately remanded to the U.S. Marshals Service.
Moritz’s warrant stemmed from a 1989 indictment charging him and others with various counts related to the large scale smuggling of marijuana, hashish, and heroin.
According to the indictment, the defendants used an ocean-going freighter to smuggle large quantities of drugs from all over the globe for a period beginning in 1970 and continuing until 1989. At the time of the indictment, Moritz fled the country.
“This is another excellent example of our agents doing their job to protect our country from those that are here to conduct illegal activities,” Patrol Agent in Charge Paul Farmer stated. “It should also be known that Mr. Moritz was uncooperative during questioning, however, that will never stop us from finding out who you are or what you have done in your past. If that includes conducting criminal activities 30 years ago, you will be turned over to the proper authorities and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Criminal charges are merely allegations. Defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
