Interpol seeks help to find 15 fugitives in Latin America

Interpol on Monday issued an appeal to the public to help track down 15 people suspected of belonging to international crime syndicates, including the head of a Mexican drug cartel. The "public appeal" from the police agency based in Lyon, France said the fugitives were holed up in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela and various Caribbean and Central American countries. Interpol first launched "Operation Infra-Americas" in November involving 46 countries and territories in Central and South America, the Carribean as well as the United States and several European countries. On Monday it said: "The public is hereby asked to communicate information to help locate 15 people, including Rafael Caro-Quintero, the former head of the Guadalajara drug cartel in Mexico." "Any information, however minor or insignificant it may seem, might be the missing piece in the puzzle that will help us track down these dangerous criminals," said Ervin Prenci, an Interpol intelligence officer. "However," said the police officer who is coordinating the operation, "we do not encourage citizens to act by themselves but rather to communicate to the local or national police or Interpol any information they have in their possession."