ICE deports Polish fugitive wanted for stealing 18 luxury vehicles

CHICAGO – An international fugitive, who was wanted for allegedly stealing 18 luxury vehicles in Poland, was deported there Tuesday where he faces criminal charges. This removal was conducted by officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO).

Slawomir Pitucha, 48, was flown from Chicago to Warsaw, Poland, on a commercial flight on Nov. 29. ICE ERO officers escorted Pitucha on the flight and turned him over to the custody of Polish authorities at the Warsaw International Airport.

"We will not tolerate foreign fugitives who seek safe haven in this country to evade justice abroad," said Ricardo Wong, field office director of ICE ERO in Chicago. "Thanks to the excellent partnership among law enforcement, we have ensured that this individual will be prosecuted for his alleged crimes in Poland."

The Republic of Poland issued an Interpol warrant for Pitucha for his alleged role in stealing 18 luxury vehicles as a member of an organized criminal group. He faces trial in Poland on these charges.

The Illinois Department of Corrections turned Pitucha over to ICE on Oct. 4, 2011 based on a detainer first lodged with the Cook County Sheriff's Department in 2009. This originated with a U.S. Marshals notification to ICE officials of the Interpol notice issued for Pitucha. He remained in ICE custody from Oct. 4 until his Nov. 29 removal.

ICE ERO identifies, arrests, and removes aliens who present a danger to national security or are a risk to public safety, as well as those who enter the United States illegally or otherwise undermine the integrity of our immigration laws and our border control efforts. ICE ERO humanely upholds America's immigration laws at, within and beyond our borders through efficient enforcement and removal operations.

ERO transports removable aliens from point to point, manages aliens in custody or in an alternative to detention program, provides access to legal resources and representatives of advocacy groups, and removes individuals from the United States who have been ordered deported.