For the second time in the past few weeks, a fugitive wanted in Miami for over 30 years has been caught.
Mark Steven Phillips, 62, was arrested senior living community in West Palm Beach Thursday, 31 years after he skipped out on a Nov. 1979 Miami court appearance where he was facing racketeering and possession with intent to distribute marijuana.
Authorities say Phillips was among 13 people charged with RICO violations and accused of running a massive marijuana and cocaine importing operation between 1974 and 1978.
Phillips, director of Fort Lauderdale company Striker Aluminum Yachts, bought vessels so they could be stripped down and stuffed with the drugs.
Phillips was arrested and released in July 1979 after posting bond. After spending a month and a half at his trial, Phillips apparently didn't like the way things were going and skipped out on an appearance at the Federal Courthouse in Miami.
A bench warrant was issued for his arrest, and Phillips was later convicted on seven counts in absentia.
Meanwhile, Phillips was busy fleeing the country, going on the run in Santiago, Chile and changing his name to Marcus Steffan.
It wasn't until 2001 that Phillips, as Steffan, was found to be traveling between Chile and Germany. U.S. Marshals also found that Phillips was traveling between Germany and New York, and was even renting out $10,000 per month apartments in the Big Apple.
Phillips was later evicted from his New York apartment, and U.S. Marshals missed catching him by about a month in 2001.
Then last year, the U.S. Marshals' Cold Case Fugitive Squad discovered Phillips had come back to Miami and even obtained a Florida I.D. card under his real name.
On Thursday, authorities finally tracked Phillips down to an apartment at the 55 and older senior living community.
"The Judge wants to see you, Mark," the Deputy Marshal told Phillips, who was living out of a suitcase.
"The judge wants to see me, from 30 years ago," Phillips replied.
Phillips was transported to the Miami Federal Courthouse and will make a court appearance Thursday before eventually going before the same judge he walked out on in 1979.
Phillips is the second man to be captured by the U.S. Marshals from Miami in January after over 30 years on the run. Ian Jackson MacDonald , 71, was caught Jan. 12 after three decades on the run following an 1980 arrest in Fort Lauderdale on drug trafficking charges.
