Border Patrol agents in San Diego County have arrested a 44-year-old citizen of Spain who was wanted by the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) in connection with the sexual abuse of a minor.

The suspect’s identity has not yet been revealed, though photos released by CBP show he has black tattoos on the right side of his chest and right arm.

The arrest occurred on Jan. 3 after an agent patrolling near Dulzura, approximately 27 miles southeast of downtown San Diego and five miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border, pulled over a suspicious SUV on State Route 94, an east-west highway that begins in San Diego, Border Patrol officials said on Jan. 13. 

The agent suspected the driver of smuggling. Inside the vehicle, agents found that the two passengers were illegal immigrants. All three were arrested and taken to a nearby Border Patrol station for processing. 

Agents there discovered that the driver was a citizen of Spain and wanted by Interpol, which helps police forces globally tackle international crime. The suspect was the subject of an Interpol Red Notice and was also in the United States illegally after overstaying his visa.

A Red Notice is a law enforcement request put out to agencies worldwide to arrest suspects who are then subject to extradition or similar legal action. The notices are based on an arrest warrant or court orders issued by authorities in a requesting country. Most of the world’s sovereign states—196 countries—are members of Interpol, making it the largest police organization in the world. 

The U.S. Marshals Service and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had been searching for the man in recent months as a result of the Red Notice. The driver and the two passengers were processed for removal. Interpol was alerted of the arrest, and Border Patrol seized the vehicle. 

In 2007, ICE’s Law Enforcement Support Center (LESC) in Burlington, Vermont, gained direct access to criminal records from Interpol members. 

“Our goal is to provide direct, international query capability to each federal, state, and local law enforcement agency in the United States and, ultimately, to the officer on the street. LESC connectivity directly supports this goal,” said U.S. National Central Bureau Director Martin Renkiewicz, who was a senior ICE agent at the time of the integration.

The U.S. has been part of Interpol since 1923. The Interpol U.S. National Central Bureau is located in Washington.