A woman identified as Ali “N” has been formally charged in La Paz, Baja California Sur, after she was extradited from the Netherlands for allegedly taking two young children out of the country without the custodial mother’s consent in October 2023.
According to state prosecutors, the suspect drove the children, then ages 5 and 2, from La Paz to Tijuana. She then crossed the border into the United States with them. The children’s mother held legal custody at the time of the alleged abduction.
International Manhunt Led to the Netherlands
Authorities eventually located Ali “N” in the Netherlands. Mexico’s Fiscalía General de la República (FGR), the federal attorney general’s office, coordinated her extradition through its international affairs unit. The process required cooperation between Dutch and Mexican authorities.
Arresting agents took custody of the suspect in Mexico City on April 16 after she was returned to Mexican soil. She was then transferred to Baja California Sur to face charges related to the case.
Charges Filed in BCS Court
The route Ali “N” allegedly took, driving roughly 1,500 kilometers from La Paz north through the entire Baja California peninsula to the Tijuana border crossing, is the only overland path from southern Baja to the United States. The journey typically takes about 22 hours by car.
Under Mexican law, removing a minor from the country or from the custody of a legal guardian without consent can carry significant prison time. The specific charges filed against Ali “N” in the La Paz court were not detailed in the initial report. The current whereabouts of the two children were also not disclosed.
International child abduction cases involving Mexico and the United States fall under the framework of the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction. Both Mexico and the Netherlands are signatories to the convention, which facilitates the return of children wrongfully removed across international borders.
The case was first reported by Colectivo Pericú.