PHILADELPHIA – The last thing anyone expects after returning from a vacation is to be arrested on very serious criminal charges, but that’s what happened to a Dorchester, Mass., man at Philadelphia International Airport on Friday.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers arrested Reginald Junior Galette, 24, after he arrived on a flight from Montego Bay, Jamaica. Galette is wanted by the Boston Police Department on multiple felony firearms charges, including assault to murder, assault with a dangerous weapon, possession of a large capacity firearm, firearm discharge within 500 feet of building, possessing a firearm with a defaced serial number, among others.
As Galette’s flight landed, CBP’s National Targeting Center, which compares international passenger and cargo manifests to numerous law enforcement databases, such as the National Crime Information Center (NCIC), identified Galette as being the subject to the Boston warrant and placed an alert in CBP’s passenger processing systems.
The automated passport control, a self-help kiosk system for travelers to process their arrivals, referred Galette to a secondary examination where CBP officers verified Galette’s identity. Officers then confirmed that the Boston arrest warrant remained active and arrested Galette.
CBP officers turned him over to Tinicum Township Police officers.
Criminal charges are merely allegations. Defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
“Customs and Border Protection is happy to help our law enforcement partners in Boston by capturing an alleged dangerous person wanted for serious crimes,” said Joseph Martella, Area Port Director for CBP’s Area Port of Philadelphia. “CBP’s border security mission allows us to ensure victims’ rights by arresting fugitives as they arrive to the United States or before they can flee accountability. It’s one way in which we can help our partners make our streets a little safer.”
On a typical day last year, CBP processed an average of nearly 900,000 arriving travelers every day at our nation’s airports, seaports, and land border crossings, and arrested an average of 41 wanted persons. See what else CBP accomplished during “A Typical Day” in 2022.
CBP’s border security mission is led at our nation’s Ports of Entry by CBP officers and agriculture specialists from the Office of Field Operations. CBP screens international travelers and cargo and searches for illicit narcotics, unreported currency, weapons, counterfeit consumer goods, prohibited agriculture, invasive weeds and pests, and other illicit products that could potentially harm the American public, U.S. businesses, and our nation’s safety and economic vitality.
Learn more at www.CBP.gov.
Follow the Director of CBP’s Baltimore Field Office on Twitter at @DFOBaltimore for breaking news, current events, human interest stories and photos, and CBP’s Office of Field Operations on Instagram at @cbpfieldops.