Carlos Meneses Lambis

Last updated
Carlos Meneses Lambis
Born
Carlos Rafael Meneses Lambis

1965 (age 58–59)
Panama
Criminal penalty46 months and 20 days, reduced to 30 months (non-murder charges)
Details
Victims2–3
Span of crimes
2003–2004
CountryPanama
State(s) Panamá, Panamá Oeste

Carlos Rafael Meneses Lambis (born 1965) is a Panamanian criminal, murderer and accused serial killer. Charged with the murders of two women killed in 2003 and 2004, and suspected in the disappearance of his wife, Meneses has thus far avoided arrest and continues to be on the run. He is one of the country's most sought after fugitives, and a warrant from Interpol has been issued for his arrest. [1]

Contents

Early life and crimes

Little is known about Meneses' early life, aside from the fact that he was born in Panama in 1965. Described as a withdrawn, cold and calculating man who is proficient at analyzing and scamming people, he obtained a bachelor's degree from the José Antonio Remón Cantera College and then enrolled at the University of Panama's Law Faculty. [2]

On August 3, 1995, Meneses stalked a woman he had previously dated to the Club Unión in Panama City. He noticed her and a male member of the club leaving a brothel, after which he followed her to her house and confronted her. [2] He claimed that he had been hired as a private detective to expose her infidelity, threatening to tell her family and friends if she did not have sex with him and pay him $3,000. Frightened, the woman accepted, and only a day later, she went to a vacant house on Vía Tocumen, where Meneses sexually abused her. After this, the victim reported the crime to the police, who instructed her to stage another meeting with him tomorrow, where he was successfully apprehended. While searching through Meneses' car, officers found the clothes he had worn the day he had raped the woman, as well as her underwear. [2]

Meneses was charged with rape, blackmail, theft and criminal misappropriation. He pleaded guilty to the theft and misappropriation charges and was convicted on the remaining two by the First Circuit Court, which ordered that he be sentenced to 46 months and 20 days imprisonment. Meneses then lodged an appeal to the Supreme Court of Justice, which reduced his sentence to 30 months and acquitted him of the criminal misappropriation charge. Meneses served out his sentence in full and was later released. [2]

Murders

On May 11, 2003, police officers patrolling the Miraflores lock found the body of 44-year-old prostitute Rafaela Ábrego Sánchez, which had been hidden in some bushes. [2] It was determined that she had been killed with a single stab wound to her leg, which had evidently hit a femoral artery and had caused her to bleed to death. Witness statements from fellow prostitutes said that Meneses - who frequently used their services - had picked up Ábrego in a black 2002 Toyota 4Runner with license plate numbers 280603 and registered in Veraguas Province. After they found the vehicle, investigators requested that DNA testing be conducted in order to conclusively link him to the case, making this the first case in Panama's history in which such testing was used in a homicide investigation. [2]

The results determined that small traces of blood found in the Toyota indeed belonged to Ábrego, allowing prosecutor Rolando Rodríguez to issue an arrest warrant for Meneses, with a special request that the warrant must not have an expiration date and that a criminal case can be started when the suspect is arrested. [2] Later that day, it was determined that Meneses' girlfriend, María Luisa Caballero, had disappeared under mysterious circumstances in the vicinity of Vista Alegre. Although there was insufficient evidence to charge him with this case, Caballero's family claimed that he had verbally threatened her before and that she had planned to leave him. [3]

On June 7, 2004, the decomposing body of a woman was found under the Bridge of the Americas near Panama City. She was quickly identified as 32-year-old domestic worker Leticia González Gaitán thanks to her employer, a dentist who recognized her porcelain-based dental work. González had gone missing just days prior when she left Panama City to travel to her home province of Veraguas, but never arrived. After interviewing a witness, it was established that González had been picked up by Meneses, who then drove away with her in his car. Due to this, a separate arrest warrant was issued for this murder by another prosecutor, Argentina Barrera Flores. [2]

Status

A little over a month after the second warrant was issued, Panama's Minister of Government and Justice, Arnulfo Escalona, announced that three police units have been organized and dispatched to regions of the country where they had received tips about potential sightings of Meneses. [4] In addition to this, a prize of $1,000 was offered to anybody who could provide information leading to his arrest. [3]

Authorities believe that he might have been hiding in remote areas of Veraguas and Chiriquí for some time, possibly wearing a fake wig and mustache, and the prize for his arrest has since been raised to $5,000. [5] He has been consistently ranked among the Top Ten Most Wanted criminals in Panama, and as of December 2022, Meneses remains a fugitive from justice. [1]

See also

Related Research Articles

In law, rendition is a "surrender" or "handing over" of persons or property, particularly from one jurisdiction to another. For criminal suspects, extradition is the most common type of rendition. Rendition can also be seen as the act of handing over, after the request for extradition has taken place.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rafael Caro Quintero</span> Mexican drug lord (born 1952)

Rafael "Rafa" Caro Quintero is a Mexican drug lord who co-founded the now-disintegrated Guadalajara Cartel with Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo and other drug traffickers in the late 1970s. He is the brother of fellow drug trafficker Miguel Caro Quintero, founder and former leader of the defunct Sonora Cartel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexis Flores</span> Honduran fugitive, murderer and child rapist

Alexis Flores is a Honduran fugitive wanted for the kidnapping, rape and murder of five-year-old Iriana DeJesus in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US, in 2000. Flores is the 487th fugitive to be placed on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list.

Pedro Miguel González Pinzón is a leading political figure in Panama who was tried and acquitted by a Panamian court of the June 10, 1992, killing of a US Army serviceman, Sgt. Zak Hernández, and the serious wounding of another, Sgt. Ronald T. Marshall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Juan García Abrego</span> Mexican convicted drug lord

Juan García Abrego is a Mexican convicted drug lord and former leader of the Gulf Cartel, a criminal group based in the state of Tamaulipas, Mexico. He started in the cartel under the tutelage of his uncle Juan Nepomuceno Guerra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MS-13</span> Transnational criminal gang

Mara Salvatrucha, commonly known as MS-13, is an international criminal gang that originated in Los Angeles, California, in the 1980s. Originally, the gang was set up to protect Salvadoran immigrants from other gangs in the Los Angeles area. Over time, the gang grew into a more traditional criminal organization. MS-13 has a longtime rivalry with the 18th Street gang.

Giselle Amelia González Aranda is a Panamanian beauty pageant titleholder who won the Señorita Panamá 1992 title. Also represented Panama in Miss Universe 1993, the 42nd Miss Universe pageant was held at Auditorio Nacional, Mexico City, Mexico on May 21, 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roberto Borge Angulo</span> Mexican politician

Roberto Borge Angulo is a Mexican politician affiliated with the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). He served the 7th Governor of Quintana Roo (2011-2016). After the end of his term he was declared a criminal by the Mexican government due to proven crimes of corruption during his time as governor. Roberto Borge was arrested on June 5, 2017 at an Airport in Panama.

Gerardo González Vernaza was a Panamanian politician from Veraguas Province. He served as Vice President of Panama and President of the National Assembly, serving in the latter post from 1997 to 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miss Panamá 2013</span> Beauty pageant

Miss Panamá 2013, the 47th annual Miss Panamá pageant, was held at the Atlapa Convention Centre, Panama City, Panama, on Tuesday, 30 April 2013.

Murder of Fernando Balderas Sánchez and Yolanda Figueroa was an unusual group killing of two married journalists and their three children in Mexico City, Mexico that had the possibilities of being linked with drug cartels, corruption, criminal activities, or their work as journalists. The case was brought to a resolution within two weeks by the confession of one of the murderers, who was an employee, and his implication of two other coworkers. The two, a husband and wife, remain at large.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes</span> Mexican drug lord (born c. 1965)

Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, commonly referred to by his alias El Mencho, is a Mexican drug lord and leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), an organized crime group based in Jalisco. He is the most-wanted person in Mexico and one of the most-wanted in the U.S. Both governments are offering up to Mexican $30 million and US $10 million, respectively, for information leading to his arrest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rubén Oseguera González</span> Mexican-American former high ranking official in CJNG

Rubén Oseguera González, commonly referred to by his alias El Menchito, is a Mexican-American citizen, suspected drug lord and former high-ranking member of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), a criminal group based in Jalisco. He is the son of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, Mexico's most-wanted man. Under his father, he allegedly worked as the CJNG's second-in-command and managed international drug trafficking operations. Oseguera González was first arrested in January 2014 in Jalisco, but was released in October for lack of evidence and re-arrested immediately as he walked out of prison. He was then released again in December after a judge considered the evidence against him as insufficient. In June 2015, Oseguera González was arrested again, released a month later, and re-arrested as his release order was made official. His legal case has highlighted the growing tensions and deficiencies between prosecutors and judges in Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gerardo González Valencia</span> Mexican convicted drug lord

Gerardo González Valencia is a Mexican convicted drug lord and high-ranking member of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), a criminal group based in Jalisco. He is part of a clan that heads a CJNG money laundering branch known as Los Cuinis. He was responsible for coordinating international money laundering schemes by using shell companies to purchase assets in Latin America, Europe, and Asia. His wife Wendy Dalaithy Amaral Arévalo was reportedly working with him on this large money laundering scheme when the couple moved from Mexico to Uruguay in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jorge Luis Mendoza Cárdenas</span> Mexican gangster

Jorge Luis Mendoza Cárdenas, commonly referred to by his alias La Garra, is a Mexican suspected drug lord and high-ranking leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), a criminal group based in Jalisco. Security forces suspect that La Garra heads the drug trafficking operations for the CJNG in the United States under Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, the top leader of the criminal group. La Garra reportedly coordinates marijuana, cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine shipments to Los Angeles, San Jose, Atlanta, and New York City from Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rosalinda González Valencia</span> Mexican businesswoman and cartel member

Rosalinda González Valencia is a Mexican businesswoman and suspected money launderer of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), a criminal group based in Jalisco. She also been known by her alias La Jefa. She was married to Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, Mexico's most-wanted man and the CJNG leader until 2018. Born in rural Michoacán, Rosalinda grew up in a family of 18 siblings and was the eldest of her sisters. Her family originally grew avocados, but eventually turned to cultivating marijuana and opium poppy. In the 1970s, her family formed the Milenio Cartel, the predecessor group of the CJNG, and began trafficking narcotics from Mexico to the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">José González Valencia</span>

José González Valencia is a Mexican suspected drug lord and high-ranking leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), a criminal group based in Jalisco. He is part of a clan that heads a CJNG money laundering branch known as Los Cuinis. Since 2015, González Valencia reportedly held a leading role within the CJNG as the security chief of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, the top leader of the criminal group. Security forces in the U.S. and Mexico suspect he was also responsible for coordinating drug trafficking operations from Mexico to the U.S., Asia, and Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jorge López Pérez</span> Mexican drug lord

Jorge López Pérez, also known as El Chuta, is a Mexican suspected drug lord and high-ranking member of Los Zetas, a criminal group based in Tamaulipas, Mexico. López Pérez joined the Mexican Army in 1979. He specialized in martial arts, parachuting, explosives and guerrilla warfare tactics. In 1981, he deserted from the military and joined a cell of the Juárez Cartel, where he coordinated drug trafficking operations in Cancún. In the early 2000s, López Pérez left and worked as an independent trafficker before joining the Gulf Cartel. He became one of the first members of the cartel's newly formed paramilitary wing, Los Zetas. Like López Pérez, most of the first members of Los Zetas were ex-military. Wanted on drug trafficking charges, he is one of the last remaining fugitives from the early Zetas generation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">María Antonieta Rodríguez Mata</span> Mexican drug lord

María Antonieta Rodríguez Mata is a Mexican former police officer and convicted drug lord. She worked as a Tamaulipas State Police officer from 1992 to 1996. During her tenure in the police, she was subject to several investigations by the National Human Rights Commission for alleged human rights violations. In the late 1990s, she became involved with the Gulf Cartel, a criminal group based in Tamaulipas, Mexico, after being hired to work under the kingpin Osiel Cárdenas Guillén. She was responsible for coordinating drug trafficking shipments from Colombia, Guatemala, and Mexico to the U.S. The drugs were often guarded by corrupt policemen and smuggled overland through Reynosa and McAllen, Texas. Her role in organized crime is unusual since she held a leadership role in the male-dominated Mexican drug trafficking industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taylor Morris Teaford</span>

Taylor Morris Teaford is an American fugitive, murderer and suspected serial killer who was added to the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list in 1968. Teaford was last seen after shooting his grandmother to death as well as wounding his sister and another individual. In 1972, despite not being captured, he was charged for the 1969 murder of a Jane Doe, who was murdered in a hotel room in Oakland, California. Teaford was also suspected of committing additional murders of women in Northern California.

References

  1. 1 2 Omar Yasser De La Cruz (May 25, 2021). "18 años tras la pista del 'más buscado de Panamá'" [18 years on the trail of the 'most wanted in Panama']. TVN (in Spanish). Archived from the original on December 3, 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Carlos Ávila Rivas (April 17, 2016). "Meneses Lambis lleva 13 años prófugo de la justicia" [Meneses Lambis has been a fugitive from justice for 13 years]. Mi Diario (in Spanish). Archived from the original on December 3, 2022.
  3. 1 2 José Otero (November 17, 2005). "Liberan de cargos a Lambis" [Lambis released of charges]. La Prensa (in Spanish). Archived from the original on December 3, 2022.
  4. ↑ "Crean bloque para arrestar a Carlos Meneses Lambis" [They created a block to arrest Carlos Meneses Lambis]. Panamá Ámerica (in Spanish). July 16, 2004. Archived from the original on December 3, 2022.
  5. ↑ José Alberto Chacón (May 16, 2014). "Autoridades continúan la búsqueda de Lambis, el asesino de prostituta" [Authorities continue the search for Lambis, the prostitute murderer]. Panamá Ámerica (in Spanish). Archived from the original on December 3, 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.