For decades, criminals thought the border was a reliable place to evade justice.
Today, thanks to a growing relationship between prosecutors in the United States and Mexico, that's no longer the case.
From 2008 to date, Mexico has extradited ten people to San Diego County authorities, with three more extraditions in the works by the end of the year.
The number of extraditions to the county before that year is not known because a special department did not exist within the California Attorney General's Office that works with Mexican authorities to process those requests.
The number of extraditions between countries also increased. In 2005, Mexico sent 40 accused criminals to the United States. Ten years later, that number had surged to 93.
It's common for criminals or suspects wanted in Southern California to flee to Tijuana to seek help from relatives or to try to disappear.
In the most recent case, on July 14, Mexico extradited to county authorities a man accused of killing his wife in 2006 then fleeing south of the border.
Mauricio Tadeo Alba was charged with first-degree murder.
He was arrested in February near a relative's home in Mexico City.
Tadeo allegedly stabbed his 36-year-old wife to death when she arrived to her San Diego home from work, according to court records.
About 20 minutes after the killing, Tadeo crossed the border into Tijuana. His vehicle was recovered the next day at the airport there.
Officials with the San Diego Police Department, in coordination with the San Diego County District Attorney's Office and the U.S. Justice Department worked with Mexican authorities to obtain an arrest warrant for Tadeo and lay the groundwork for a possible extradition.
Tadeo Alba pleaded guilty in a San Diego court in July and faces a life sentence without a possibility of parole.
Sylvia Tenorio is a deputy district attorney in the Extraditions Division of the DA's Office. She said her office's goal is to deliver justice to crime victims in this region.
"Before, there wasn't enough follow-up when criminals fled to Mexico," she said. "That's why they did it.
"Nowadays, things have changed. The coordination with authorities south of the border allows us to have more and more extraditions of criminals to San Diego," she added.
County requests for extradition must be approved by the U.S. Justice Department in Washington.
Once a request is approved, the work shifts to Mexico City, where U.S. officials from the FBI and DEA must file a request with the Mexican Attorney General's Office to order the arrest of the fugitive and to detain him, if his whereabouts are known. It can take between six to 12 months for an extradition to be approved.
Because this process is costly and can take a long time, the D.A.'s Office only requests them in serious crimes, such as homicide, child abuse and rape.
If those wanted have committed serious crimes in both countries, they must serve their sentence first in Mexico and afterward be a candidate for extradition.
If the fugitive is a U.S. citizen, the extradition process is quicker, since he can be immediately deported by Mexico's immigration agency and turned over to U.S. authorities.
The recent deportation of Jennifer A. Lopez, 32, comes to mind. She fled to Mexico after having problems with her husband, the son of U.S. Rep. Gary Miller. (R-Orange County).
The woman was being sought for kidnapping her own children. Lopez lived in Tijuana with her American boyfriend , who also was detained.
If, however, the fugitive is a Mexican citizen, the extradition process can take more time if he fights it.
Currently, the D.A.'s Office, in coordination with Baja California authorities, are searching for Armando Gabriel Pérez, 37, accused of murdering his wife,
Diana González, 19, in a City College bathroom last October.
Authorities believe that Pérez is in Tijuana, where his vehicle was found days after the killing.
For his part, Jesse Navarro, a spokesman for the D.A.'s Office, said authorities in both countries want justice for crime victims.
"The days when the border was synonymous with 'impunity' are over," he said.
This is due to the "excellent relationship that exists between both governments," a relationship fostered by the administration of President Felipe Calderón, he added.
Navarro encouraged community members to report anyone who is a fugitive, noting more than 50 percent of detentions are the result of information received from ordinary people.
"The message is clear: We will not allow any criminal to escape from justice," he said. "And if he hides in Mexico, rest assured that we will continue to search for him."
