Suspect Facing Drug Possession Charge In NoVA Arrested By ICE

ALEXANDRIA, VA — A man arrested in Fairfax County last month on a drug charge appeared in federal court on Monday to face a criminal complaint for illegal reentry after removal from the U.S., according to authorities.

On Feb. 6, Fairfax County police arrested Josue Ezequiel Fuentes Granados, charging him with possession of Schedule I or II substances, which is a Class 5 felony, according to court records. He has a preliminary hearing scheduled for 2 p.m. on April 22 in Fairfax County General District Court.

After receiving a notification in early February that Fuentes Granados had been arrested on a possession charge, as well as two misdemeanor offenses, a deportation officer with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Fairfax County performed a records check, according to court records.

The ICE officer also compared the fingerprint card from the Feb. 6 arrest with a warrant of removal/deportation, bearing Fuentes Granados' photograph, fingerprint, and signature.

"I performed records checks which confirmed that Fuentes Granados is a native and citizen of El Salvador who was removed from the United States on or about August 24, 2018 at or near Alexander, Louisiana," the deportation officer wrote in an affidavit in support of an arrest warrant request filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia in Alexandria.

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"Fuentes Granados' alien file lacks evidence of any immigration benefit, document, or status that would allow him to legally enter, be admitted, pass through, or reside in the United States," the officer wrote. "Further, Fuentes Granados has not obtained permission from the Attorney General or the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to reenter the United States following his formal removal."

On Tuesday, ICE agents arrested Fuentes Granados, who appeared later in the day without counsel before Magistrate Judge Ivan D. Davis, court records say.

During the hearing, the suspect waived his rights to a preliminary hearing, was assigned counsel and then detained by the U.S. Marshals Service, pending an indictment by a federal grand jury on a charge of illegal reentry after removal, court records say.

If convicted on the possession charge in Fairfax County, Fuentes Granados faces a potential sentence of one to 10 years in prison, up to 12 months in jail, and/or fines up to $2,500, under the Code of Virginia.

Fuentes Grandados was also scheduled to appear Tuesday morning in Fairfax County General District Court to face charges of petit larceny, trespassing after being forbidden, and failing to appear at a scheduled hearing, according to court records.