Inmate captured after escaping from federal prison camp in Arizona

An inmate who escaped from a federal prison facility in southern Arizona on Wednesday morning was captured later in the day, authorities said.

James Cangro, 46, was discovered missing from a minimum-security satellite camp next to U.S. Penitentiary Tucson around 8:10 a.m., according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

A prison guard saw him near the visitor parking lot of the complex at 8901 S. Wilmot Road. When staff approached him, he fled on foot into the surrounding desert, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.

After multiple federal, state and local agencies launched a manhunt for Cangro, the Marshals Service took him into custody not far from the prison complex.

Why is the inmate who escaped in prison?

Cangro is serving a 132-month sentence for the following offenses: violent felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, possession of body armor, possession of an unregistered firearm, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, and possession with intent to distribute 50 grams and more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine, authorities said. He was convicted of the crimes in New Mexico in 2025.

He now faces additional charges related to Wednesday’s escape.

Cangro is a validated member of a prison gang called the Soldiers of Aryan Culture and has a criminal history in Utah and Oklahoma, according to the Marshals Service.

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Kevin Stone contributed to this report.

This is an updated version of a story originally published Sept. 2, 2026.

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