After nearly a decade on the run, one of the FBI’s most elusive fugitives has finally been captured in Mexico, bringing potential closure to a murder case that has haunted North Carolina authorities since 2016.
Alejandro Rosales Castillo, 27, who had been on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list since 2017, was arrested Friday in Pachuca, Hidalgo, Mexico, officials confirmed. Castillo is now awaiting extradition to North Carolina where he faces charges in the 2016 murder of his former co-worker, Truc Quan “Sandy” Ly Le.
A Long-Awaited Capture
The FBI announced the high-profile arrest on Saturday, marking the end of an international manhunt that stretched nearly 10 years. Castillo, who was added to the infamous list on October 24, 2017, had been living in Mexico, apparently believing he had successfully evaded justice.
“The FBI and our partners at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department have worked tirelessly to find and arrest Alex Castillo,” said FBI Charlotte Special Agent in Charge James C. Barnacle Jr. “For more than nine years, he lived a normal life, likely believing he would never be captured, but our experienced investigators never gave up the hunt for justice,” he stated.
How does this capture compare to other high-profile arrests? FBI Director Kash Patel highlighted the significance of Castillo’s apprehension, noting it represents the fifth Ten Most Wanted fugitive captured since the beginning of 2025 — a striking increase from previous years.
“Alejandro Castillo is the fifth FBI Ten Most Wanted fugitive captured since last year, more than the entire previous four years combined. That reflects leadership, not luck,” Patel remarked in a statement that seemed to underscore the current administration’s law enforcement priorities.
A Decade-Old Crime
The case dates back to August 2016, when Castillo, then just 17 years old, allegedly murdered Truc Quan “Sandy” Ly Le in Charlotte, North Carolina. The two had worked together at a local restaurant. Following the murder, Castillo fled to Mexico, according to law enforcement records.
Born November 26, 1998, Castillo became the 516th person to be placed on the FBI’s notorious Ten Most Wanted list. The bureau had offered a reward of up to $250,000 for information leading to his capture — though details about whether the reward played a role in his arrest have not yet been disclosed.
Castillo is currently being detained in Mexico City while authorities work through the extradition process to bring him back to North Carolina to face justice. The extradition timeline remains unclear, though officials expect him to be returned to U.S. soil in the coming weeks.
For the family of Truc Quan “Sandy” Ly Le, the arrest represents a critical step toward closure after nearly ten years of waiting. While the legal process is just beginning, the capture of one of America’s most wanted fugitives marks the end of a chapter that has kept investigators searching across international borders for almost a decade.
As one FBI agent involved in the case privately noted, sometimes justice moves slowly — but in this case, it finally caught up with Alejandro Rosales Castillo.
