Mobile, AL - In the evening of May 28, Deputy U.S. Marshals and other law enforcement officers surrounded a trailer in Baytown, Texas, they suspected was occupied by long-time fugitive Norman Young, wanted since 2007 after the Drug Enforcement Agency attempted to serve a warrant on him on his 40-acre compound in northwest Mobile County.
Young is accused of running a multimillion dollar marijuana business out of the compound, which featured numerous tunnels, trap doors and an underground bunker. He was allegedly a key figure involved with at least two Mexican drug trafficking organizations and was instrumental in funneling large quantities of marijuana into the U.S. through Mobile County to various locations in Tennessee, north Alabama and Mississippi.
The 2007 search warrant netted numerous firearms and ammunition, thousands of dollars in U.S. currency, marijuana and discarded vehicle gas tanks that were allegedly used as containers for marijuana shipments. However, Young fled through a trap door in his home and through an underground tunnel exiting from an outbuilding adjacent to the house. He then fled into the woods and hadn’t been seen since. Young’s wife and co-defendants were taken into custody at the time.
Numerous law enforcement agencies have searched for Young for the past 13 years without success. The DEA delegated the warrant to the U.S. Marshals Service in 2007 and the fugitive investigation was elevated to a “Major Case" in 2009.
Recently, information was developed that Young was visiting the Baytown area where his wife was working in the oil industry. Deputies staked out Young’s wife’s residence in the campground and surrounded the camper Thursday evening. Young’s wife emerged, as well as Young, who initially denied his identity but was later arrested without incident.
“It is with a great sense of justice this subject was run to the ground," said Mark F. Sloke, U.S. Marshal for the Southern District of Alabama. “The U.S. Marshals Service never stops in its relentless pursuit of fugitives. The dedication and perseverance of our Deputy U.S. Marshals made this moment possible. This just shows you can run but you can’t hide from justice."
Young is currently awaiting extradition back to Mobile to face multiple charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana.
The U.S. Marshals Southern District of Alabama led the fugitive investigation, and they were assisted by USMS Southern District of Texas, U.S. Marshals Investigative Operations Division, U.S. Marshals Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force, U.S. Marshals Technical Operations Group and Baytown Police Department.
The U.S. Marshals Service is the nation’s federal oldest law enforcement agency, having served the country since 1789. It is the primary enforcements arm of the federal courts; however, other important duties include protecting the federal judiciary, apprehending federal fugitives, managing and selling seized assets acquired by criminals through illegal activities, housing and transporting federal prisoners and operating the Witness Security Program.
