Ariel Rios
Encyclopedia
Ariel Rios was an undercover
special agent
for the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
(ATF), killed in the line of duty. Member of the Presidential anti-drug task force in South Florida.
to Puerto Rican
parents. Rios graduated from William Howard Taft High School
in February 1972, and immediately enrolled in John Jay College of Criminal Justice
in Manhattan
and received his B.S. in Criminal Justice in 1976. He married his high school sweetheart, Elsie Morales, immediately upon graduation. Rios started working as a guard with the Washington, D.C.
and New York City Department of Corrections, he worked his way up to the Internal Affairs Unit. He then joined the ATF and took the oath of office on December 3, 1978. He completed his formal training at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center
in Glynco, Georgia
in 1979. After training , he was assigned to the New Haven office on June 3, 1979.
Citizens of Miami donated $23,000 to the Ariel Rios Memorial Fund. President Ronald Reagan
invited the Rios and D'Atri families to the White House
for a special tribute. The Secretary of the Treasury presented medals to Elsie Rios and Alexander D'Atri. Vice President George H. W. Bush
's last words of his moving speech were:"It's a debt we can never repay".
in Washington, D.C.
that used to house the ATF Headquarters was renamed the Ariel Rios Federal Building in his honor. It now houses the United States Environmental Protection Agency
headquarters.
In 2003, the 49th Avenue from Flagler Street to 8th Street SW was renamed Special Agent Ariel Rios Ave.(M Res. 02-633) by the City of Miami.
Undercover
Being undercover is disguising one's own identity or using an assumed identity for the purposes of gaining the trust of an individual or organization to learn secret information or to gain the trust of targeted individuals in order to gain information or evidence...
special agent
Special agent
Special agent is usually the title for a detective or investigator for a state, county, municipal, federal or tribal government. An agent is a worker for any federal agency, and a secret agent is one who works for an intelligence agency....
for the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is a federal law enforcement organization within the United States Department of Justice...
(ATF), killed in the line of duty. Member of the Presidential anti-drug task force in South Florida.
Biography
Ariel Rios was born in New Haven, ConnecticutConnecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
to Puerto Rican
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
parents. Rios graduated from William Howard Taft High School
William Howard Taft High School (New York City)
William Howard Taft High School was a high school in Southwest section of the Bronx, New York City.The school was operated by the New York City Department of Education....
in February 1972, and immediately enrolled in John Jay College of Criminal Justice
John Jay College of Criminal Justice
The John Jay College of Criminal Justice is a senior college of the City University of New York in Midtown Manhattan, New York City and is the only liberal arts college with a criminal justice and forensic focus in the United States. The college offers programs in Forensic Science and Forensic...
in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
and received his B.S. in Criminal Justice in 1976. He married his high school sweetheart, Elsie Morales, immediately upon graduation. Rios started working as a guard with the Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
and New York City Department of Corrections, he worked his way up to the Internal Affairs Unit. He then joined the ATF and took the oath of office on December 3, 1978. He completed his formal training at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center
Federal Law Enforcement Training Center
The Federal Law Enforcement Training Center serves as an interagency law enforcement training organization for 90 United States government federal law enforcement agencies.-Location:...
in Glynco, Georgia
Glynco, Georgia
Glynco is an area in Glynn County, Georgia located on the northwestern edge of Brunswick, GA. Glynco is a contraction of the words "Glynn County".In 1942 the Naval Air Station Glynco was established on the area now known as Glynco...
in 1979. After training , he was assigned to the New Haven office on June 3, 1979.
Undercover operation
On December 2, 1982, as part of the Presidential anti-drug task force in South Florida, Special Agent Rios and his partner, Alexander D'Atri, were sent into a "buy and bust" undercover operation to negotiate a large cocaine deal from suspected drug traffickers. The meeting took place at the Hurricane Motel on West Flagler Street, Miami. The operation was going well until one of the suspects, standing by the window, noticed other agents closing in. When he pulled a gun, Rios moved forward in an attempt to disarm the man and save his fellow agents. While struggling with the drug dealer, he was shot in the face and died on the scene; his partner was seriously wounded. Rios was survived by his wife and two children. He was buried in Jayuya, Puerto Rico, a beautiful mountain village where Rios had once told his father he could rest forever.Citizens of Miami donated $23,000 to the Ariel Rios Memorial Fund. President Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
invited the Rios and D'Atri families to the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
for a special tribute. The Secretary of the Treasury presented medals to Elsie Rios and Alexander D'Atri. Vice President George H. W. Bush
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
's last words of his moving speech were:"It's a debt we can never repay".
Court sentencing
On April 20, 1983 the district court sentenced Augustin D. Alvarez and Mario C. Simon to life plus 50 years in federal prison, for the first degree murder of the federal agent Ariel Rios and assault against federal officer Alexander D'Atri, cocaine conspiracy and distribution of cocaine, and using of a firearm during the commission of a felony. Oscar Hernandez to 30 years in prison, Victoriano Concepcion to 25 years in prison, Eduardo Portal to 22 years in prison. Two other men were sentenced for lesser charges.Legacy
On February 5, 1985 the block-long federal building at 1200 Pennsylvania AvenuePennsylvania Avenue
Pennsylvania Avenue is a street in Washington, D.C. that joins the White House and the United States Capitol. Called "America's Main Street", it is the location of official parades and processions, as well as protest marches...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
that used to house the ATF Headquarters was renamed the Ariel Rios Federal Building in his honor. It now houses the United States Environmental Protection Agency
United States Environmental Protection Agency
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress...
headquarters.
In 2003, the 49th Avenue from Flagler Street to 8th Street SW was renamed Special Agent Ariel Rios Ave.(M Res. 02-633) by the City of Miami.