see also: in December 2004:   CBP Border Patrol Intercepts Over 12,000 Pounds of Marijuana   Customs and Border Protection Names Passic Director of New Office of Drug Interdiction   U.S. and India Sign Pact to Improve Trade and Fight Criminal Activity   CBP Border Patrol’s National Security Efforts Benefit From New Technology   CBP Border Patrol Loses One of Their Own   Container Security Initiative Port of Livorno, Italy becomes 33rd Operational Port ...more on cbp.gov:   CBP News Releases   Press Officers

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Blaine, Washington – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers apprehended a fugitive here last night, wanted in connection with a 2003 shooting in New York City. Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) inspectors initially identified the suspect as he tried to enter Canada at the Pacific Highway border crossing.

Asian rap artist, Raymond Yu (aka G-Kay), 23, is a suspect in the shooting death of an aspiring rapper in November 2003, in a nightclub in New York City’s Chinatown. He was arrested on a warrant issued by the New York City Police Department (NYPD) for attempted murder.

Yu was initially encountered by CBSA inspectors on a northbound shuttle bus traveling from Seattle, WA to Vancouver, British Columbia. Officers suspected that the identification he presented was being used fraudulently, and referred him for a more thorough examination. Through an extensive interview, CBSA officers found that the passenger was the subject of an American arrest warrant for attempted murder. He was ordered removed from Canada and Yu was then escorted back to CBP officers at the U.S. port.

CBP officers used digital fingerprint scanning equipment to confirm his identity in the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification (IAFIS) System. The database indicated that Yu had an active, nationwide extradition warrant. The IAFIS technology enables CBP officers to search fingerprint databases simultaneously using the Automated Biometric Identification System (IDENT) and the FBI fingerprint database. It provides rapid identification of individuals with outstanding criminal warrants by electronically comparing a live-scanned fingerprint against a huge nationwide database of previously captured fingerprints. The warrant was subsequently confirmed by the NYPD.

“This apprehension represents the collaborative efforts of both Canadian and U.S. border officers to secure our respective nation’s borders,” said Jay Brandt, acting Area Port Director for CBP in Blaine. “Yu’s capture is a direct result of officer vigilance and the IAFIS technology.”

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents responded to the scene and transported Yu to the Whatcom County jail in Bellingham. Yu remains in Bellingham pending extradition to New York.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control, and protection of our Nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.