Six ‘Ten Most Wanted’ Fugitives Captured In First Year Under Patel: Report

FBI Director Kash Patel is touting what he calls a historic turnaround at the bureau, pointing to unprecedented success in capturing fugitives from the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list during his first year leading the agency.

Patel made the case during an appearance on Fox News’ “Hannity” last week, where host Sean Hannity highlighted that the FBI has apprehended six Ten Most Wanted fugitives in just one year. Hannity contrasted that figure with the prior administration, noting that only four fugitives were captured over a four-year period.

According to Patel, the results reflect a deeper transformation inside the bureau.

“The simple juxtaposition is that there was a weaponized bureau, a politicized bureau to go after political targets including President Trump and myself, versus the bureau of today that goes based on law and facts and works with our prosecutors,” Patel said.

Patel explained that the FBI has deployed roughly 1,000 additional agents into the field, prioritizing violent crime and fugitive apprehension.

“These agents are working around the clock and around the world to bring justice,” Patel said.

“That is why you see these record numbers. Six top 10 captures in one year, which has never been done before, and we’re just getting started,” he added.

The FBI publicly marked the milestone following the January arrest of Ten Most Wanted fugitive Alejandro Rosales Castillo, whose capture capped months of international coordination.

Patel joined FBI Charlotte Special Agent in Charge James C. Barnacle Jr. and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Chief Estella D. Patterson to announce Castillo’s return to Charlotte, North Carolina, after his arrest in Pachuca, Hidalgo, Mexico, on Jan. 16, 2026.

According to the FBI, its Legal Attaché Office in Mexico City worked alongside Agencia de Investigación Criminal-INTERPOL and Mexico’s Secretaría de Seguridad y Protección Ciudadana to take Castillo into custody and facilitate his transfer to U.S. authorities.

Castillo was added to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list on Oct. 24, 2017. He is accused in the 2016 murder of 23-year-old Truc Quan Sandy Ly Le, whose body was discovered in a wooded area of Cabarrus County, North Carolina.

State prosecutors in Mecklenburg County filed charges in November 2016, including first-degree murder, first-degree kidnapping, robbery with a dangerous weapon, and larceny of a motor vehicle. A federal arrest warrant for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution followed in February 2017.

“Alejandro Castillo is one of six Ten Most Wanted fugitives apprehended under this FBI in less than one year,” Patel said in a statement.

He credited President Donald J. Trump, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and international law enforcement partners for the successful operation.

“Castillo had been on the run in Mexico for nearly a decade, evading charges for the 2016 murder of Sandy Ly Le, but he is now back in the United States to face justice,” Patel said.

“I hope today will begin to provide peace and comfort for Sandy’s family, knowing her alleged killer will finally face long-awaited accountability,” he added.

Barnacle said the arrest underscores the FBI’s resolve to pursue violent criminals no matter how long it takes or how far they flee.

“Time, distance, and borders will not protect those who commit violent crimes,” he said.

Patterson called the transfer of custody a crucial step toward justice for the victim’s family, while U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson emphasized that fleeing the country does not shield criminals from accountability.

“We got him,” Ferguson said.

Mecklenburg County District Attorney Spencer D. Merriweather III noted that Castillo’s arrest marks the start of the judicial process, not its end.

The FBI said numerous federal, state, local, and international agencies assisted in the investigation and extradition, highlighting what Patel described as a renewed focus on law enforcement’s core mission under President Trump’s second-term administration.