RFP Staff
♦ Catalino Benitez-Vallejo, 47, convicted Federal drug felon and deported almost 19 years ago, returned to Rowan County and was allegedly living under the alias Miseal Valencia-Macedo on Wilkie Road in Kannapolis for almost a year when he was arrested Wednesday by the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office, the United States Department of Homeland Security/Immigration and Customs Enforcement as the result of an 11 months investigation.
Benitez-Vallejo was charged with aggravated re-entry (felony). He was placed in federal custody and taken to a federal holding facility.
Back on April 21st 1999 Benitez-Vallejo, an illegal immigrant living in China Grove, was arrested by the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office, the SBI, and the U.S. Customs Service for delivering 5 kilos of cocaine to an undercover investigator near Long Ferry Road in Salisbury. During a search of Benitez-Vallejo home investigators uncovered assault weapons. He pleaded guilty to cocaine distribution in Federal court in the Middle District of North Carolina and was sentenced on September 28th 1999 to 10 years in federal prison.
Benitez-Vallejo was released from prison on January 4th 2008 and deported to Mexico. According to law enforcement he returned several months later allegedly using several aliases including Miseal Valencia-Macedo.
According to law enforcement sources Benitez-Vallejo attracted no attention for years save for traffic citations in Cabarrus county under his alias Miseal Valencia-Macedo. He was never arrested or fingerprinted.
After Benitez-Vallejo’s arrest Wednesday he continued to maintain his alias until he was confronted with evidence of his fingerprints obtained through a high-tech finger printing device. A search of Benitez-Vallejo’s Kannapolis home investigators allegedly turned up a 9 mm Glock pistol, ammunition, and several documents carrying his aliases.
In the future Benitez-Vallejo’s case will be turned over to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for prosecution of aggravated re-entry charge (felony), and the 9 mm pistol and ammunition charge. It’s possible Benitez-Vallejo will also face additional state charges for identity theft and trafficking stolen identities.
