A 29-year-old Romanian woman was recently apprehended by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Port of Buffalo, Lewiston Bridge border-crossing on an active felony arrest warrant from Fairfax, Virginia. The woman, who had intended to travel to Niagara Falls, Canada, mistakenly took a wrong turn on the border-crossing bridge and ended up in the U.S. She was identified by officers after failing to provide any identification.
In a news release issued by CBP, it was stated that officers directed Loredana Lascan to a secondary area for further inspection on December 15. Utilizing the National Crime Information Center (NCIC), officers were able to confirm Lascan's identity and discovered her active felony arrest warrant. A deeper examination of Lascan's records revealed a warrant from the Fairfax County Police Department for multiple counts of illegal use of credit cards and another arrest warrant from Northbrook, Illinois Police Department for fraud.
Buffalo Port Director Gaetano Cordone said, "Our CBP officers maintain their vigilance during this busy holiday season to continue to identify wanted individuals." He added that this incident serves as a reminder for consumers to exercise caution when using credit cards during the holiday season. "CBP is committed to working with our law enforcement partners to keep our communities and consumers safe," Cordone emphasized.
The CBP news release further reported that after confirming her active warrant status, Lascan was handed over to the New York State Police and charged as a fugitive from justice. She is currently detained at the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office awaiting transfer back to Virginia.
According to statistics available on the CBP website, in fiscal year 2023, officers encountered over 3.2 million people nationwide; this figure includes 2 million single adults, 993,947 family unit aliens, 137,992 single minors and 7,482 accompanied minors.
