Wilver Villegas-Palomino- Texas- 2020 (Added in 2023)

OK, now I will begin. First off I want to apologize for criticizing the addition of Ruja Ignatova to the top ten list as this is now the new worst addition since Semion Mogilevich. At least Ignatova added variety as a foreign female fugitive and reflected the new century with the bitcoin aspect.

Now we have a cocaine kingpin like this is the 1980s when not excusing it but the war on drugs has been sort of an unpopular failure and this guy is essentially a poor man's Pablo Escobar. A fentanyl trrafficker made more sense.

The FBI, and if they read this I want to let them know I think they do a great job overall, and my critique is only about how I feel they are handling the top ten list, I feel is treating the top ten list like we're in the year 1986.

Finally, my biggest gripe once again, is the FBI once again not recognizing the tradition that the list isn't always necessarily the worst of the worst but the worst of who can be caught via public tips.

Villegas-Palomino is definitely catchable, but aside from putting pressure on whatever country he's in where he might be hiding in plain sight, in general drug kingpins are caught via military-like intelligence and/or extradition/court battles or negotiations. He will likely be caught in a way that has nothing to do with the list.

There are too few domestic homicide, crimes against children, or even financial fugitives who victimized everyday citizens that someone mowing their lawn could recognize as their next door neighbor not being added over these guys. A domestic homicide fugitive like Jarvis Wright or Justin Smith would have made more sense in my opinion.

The FBI has a Trends when it comes to new additions. Back then they used to add bank robbers to the list. I feel like this is the new trend where they’re adding drug traffickers and white collar criminals to the list instead of murderers and pedophiles.

I agree your frustrations. It also bothers me when they put fugitives on the Top Ten List that were not listed on their website prior - many of which have detailed backstories, multiple photos, descriptors, and are likely residing in the U.S. There are so many fugitives on their site that truly feel like fast-catches if they just had more publicity.  We've waited months in anticipation for that kind of fugitive - presumably one we'd have prior knowledge of - to be put on the list. Turns out to be an out-of-the-blue drug lord residing in South America with not much info on the poster (not downplaying his crimes or anything). 

Hopefully we see better additions for the next two spots, and hopefully it doesn't take several months.

I’m glad they finally replaced Rafael Caro-Quintero, but I’m not happy as to who replaced him. This addition I don’t agree with, and the only good side to this is that Colombia green lit the extradition request to the United States hence why his reward wasn’t increased upon his addition, which means they’re onto him and adding him was to put pressure on the Colombian government?

Either way I hope they get him soon so they can replace him with an actual domestic fugitive that should be on the list.


Also I must add this is the first fugitive FBI director Chris Wray has personally announced the addition for a top ten fugitive and he chose the wrong fugitive to make the announcement for.

I believe that was Diego Leon Montoya Sanchez he was added in 2004, and was captured in September 2007, he was the guy Jason Derek Brown replaced on the top ten list in December 2007.

I do hope the next two additions are domestic fugitives, but I can now see why Villegas-Palomino was added. Boy, the FBI can sell it in their press release! This man has imported 80% of all cocaine into the United States as of late. That’s pretty scary that one person has been the head of such a scheme. If anything, with that big of a footprint in crime, I am of the belief that the reward is too low.

I want to stress that I am not trying to disagree with others on the forum, but I am glad the FBI is cognizant of narco-terrorism. It’s a problem that will only get worse.

I understand and respect your opinion. One thing I think the FBI did besides issue a lower reward than they should have was they also should have promised relocation for anyone who helped turn him in.