Officials with Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Lompoc II ― a low-security federal prison located just north of the Lompoc Flower Fields ― announced that one of their inmates was discovered missing Thursday afternoon and remains unaccounted for.
Omar Briceno-Quijano, dubbed a “walk-away” by officials, was housed in an adjacent minimum-security camp for low-risk inmates. He was described as a 35-year-old Hispanic male with brown hair, brown eyes, 5’7” tall, and weighing 197 pounds.
“The United States Marshals Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and other law enforcement agencies were notified,” the prison said in a press statement. “An internal investigation was initiated. Anyone with information about this individual should contact the United States Marshals Service at (805) 346-2728.”
Briceno-Quijano was sentenced in 2022 in federal court to a 14-year sentence for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and heroin and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
According to the plea agreement, between January 1, 2019, and December 18, 2019, Briceno-Quijano was involved in sending illegal narcotics from Mexico to western Colorado. He was mainly based in Mexico at the time and coordinated the transactions through intermediaries and electronic wire transfers.
“This defendant was a ring-leader in a major drug trafficking operation, impacting a small community in Colorado,” prosecutors said at the time.
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