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Border & Immigration

Witness in Arellano-Felix Case Sent Back to Mexico

Witness in Arellano-Felix Case Sent Back to Mexico

A witness in the Arellano-Felix case who spent six months in a San Diego jail has been sent back to Mexico. KPBS reporter Amy Isackson has details.

Edgar Omar Osorio was the captain of the boat on which suspected drug cartel leader Javier Arellano Felix and one of his alleged top lieutenants were arrested last August. Osorio had refused to talk to prosecutors for six months, but he changed his mind recently after his wife was killed in a car accident in Mexico.

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Last week, in federal court in San Diego, Osorio testified the arrests on the boat took place in Mexican waters -- not international waters, as prosecutors claim. The point could be pivotal in the case against the top-ranking members of the Arellano-Felix cartel. Osorio said he wanted to go home to Mexico to be with his children. Some sources suspect his wife's death may not have been an accident. They also fear for Osorio's life upon his return. Osorio was transferred through Nogales, Arizona.

Amy Isackson, KPBS News.