Rosa De Arcos, a 45-year-old from Jalisco, Mexico, was extradited to the United States on August 8, 2025, after spending nearly seven years as a fugitive. She appeared in federal court following her extradition and faces a four-count indictment that includes charges of importing and conspiring to distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine.
De Arcos was initially arrested in May 2017 after authorities found over 34 pounds of fentanyl hidden in her vehicle. Despite objections from prosecutors, she was released on bond. Investigators had already obtained wiretap evidence of De Arcos and co-defendant Maria Elena Urena Cervantes discussing drug trafficking activities earlier that year. In January 2017, law enforcement seized methamphetamine and cocaine imported by Urena with assistance from De Arcos.
Urena was also arrested later in December 2017 and released on bond. Both women attended court hearings throughout 2017 and into 2018. A jury trial was scheduled for December 11, 2018; however, neither defendant appeared at a status hearing set for November that year. Both fled to Mexico at that time. Arrest warrants were issued without bail, and the government moved to forfeit their bonds.
A grand jury indicted both women on December 4, 2018, adding bail jumping charges to the original counts. The United States began extradition proceedings for both defendants. Urena was apprehended in Mexico in September 2023 and extradited three months later; she pleaded guilty in July 2024 to drug trafficking offenses committed with De Arcos and is awaiting sentencing on December 15, 2025.
Law enforcement continued searching for De Arcos until her arrest in April 2025 by Mexican authorities. Her extradition followed several months later.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph Orabona and Shauna Prewitt are prosecuting the case with significant support from the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs during the extradition process.
De Arcos is scheduled for a status hearing before Judge Thomas J. Whelan on August 25, 2025.
The agencies involved in this investigation include Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), United States Marshal Service (USMS), Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, San Bernardino Police Department, and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs.
According to officials: “The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.”
Penalties for the charged offenses range up to life imprisonment with mandatory minimum sentences of ten years for each major count related to drug importation or conspiracy charges as well as substantial fines.
