Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
SAN ANTONIO – United States Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas announced today, that federal prosecutors in the district filed 232 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from Aug. 8 through 14.
Two Mexican nationals were arrested in Seguin on Aug. 8, when they were caught allegedly transporting 137 kgs of methamphetamine and 7.5 kgs of heroin. A Guadalupe County Sheriff’s Office K9 deputy conducted a traffic stop on Roberto Moreno-Rangel and Martin Gomez-Cisneros near the intersection of Highway 90 and Interstate Highway 10. After the two individuals allegedly provided conflicting stories to the deputy, the K9 conducted an open-air sniff inspection of the vehicle and allegedly alerted to the presence of illegal narcotics on the rear driver side fender well area of the vehicle. Further investigation of the vehicle allegedly revealed 48 bundles concealed in an aftermarket compartment. 47 of the bundles were allegedly found to contain methamphetamine, while the remaining bundle allegedly contained heroin. Charged with possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, Moreno-Rangel and Gomez-Cisneros each face 10 years to life in prison, if convicted.
Among the new cases, Mexican national Heriberto Monsivais Lopez aka Erik Lopez, was arrested in San Antonio as part of an investigation into firearms trafficking to Mexico. On Wednesday, Homeland Security Investigations agents, along with officers from the Texas Department of Public Safety (TX DPS) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations, allegedly observed Monsivais Lopez sell two 9mm pistols and 28.93 g of suspected cocaine. He was previously removed from the U.S. to Mexico on March 14, 2019. Monsivais Lopez is charged with one count of being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm. If convicted, he faces up to 15 years imprisonment.
Salvadoran national Samuel Chulo-Aguilar was charged with illegal re-entry in Del Rio, having been previously deported in 2012 through Phoenix, Arizona. In 2007, Chulo-Aguilar was sentenced to six years in prison following a conviction in Los Angeles, California, for lewd acts with a child under 14.
In Austin, Honduran national Jose Carcamo-Santos was taken into Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody after he was arrested during a traffic stop by TX DPS on Aug. 9. Carcamo-Santos is charged with illegal re-entry and has been removed from the U.S. seven times between 2004 and 2022. He’s been thrice convicted for illegal re-entry and has three other convictions for controlled substance charges.
Rosell Bladimir Ortiz-Garcia, also a Honduran national, was arrested and charged with illegal re-entry in Eagle Pass. Ortiz-Garcia has been deported seven times, the last one being on Feb. 26, after being convicted for assault causing bodily injury.
Victor Aaron Vargas-Leon, a Mexican national, was arrested near El Indio on Aug. 10 and charged with transporting illegal aliens. A criminal complaint alleges that Border Patrol agents found three illegal aliens and another deceased individual in the brush. Vargas-Leon was allegedly determined to be a foot guide for the group.
In El Paso, Mexican national Victor Hugo Lopez-Murillo was allegedly found in a storm drain just over a mile west of the Bridge of the Americas Port of Entry. He is charged with illegal re-entry, having been previously removed from the U.S. four times, the last time being in February following a felony conviction for trespassing in a habitation.
Mexican national Jorge Santillan-De La Cruz was arrested in El Paso and charged with illegal re-entry after he allegedly applied for admission into the U.S., presenting himself as a U.S. citizen who had lost his documents in Mexico. Customs and Border Protection officers found that Santillan-De La Cruz had previously been removed from the U.S. for the fourth time in March. Additionally, he has been convicted five times for theft and burglary offenses and twice for illegal re-entry.
Raul Robledo, a U.S. citizen, was charged with conspiracy to transport illegal aliens after allegedly being observed acting as a look-out during a failed alien smuggling scheme in El Paso on Aug. 4. A criminal complaint alleges that, during the scheme, Border Patrol agents responded to subjects exiting a storm drain and observed multiple vehicles suspected of being involved in the smuggling operation. One subject was allegedly observed lifting the storm drain grate, then dropping it, injuring a female subject who was later transported to a hospital with finger amputations and a head injury. Border Patrol agents located four additional illegal aliens inside the storm drain. Further investigation revealed that Robledo had allegedly fled the scene and had served as a look-out on three other occasions.
Mexican national Luis Heriberto Baca-Baca was arrested while crossing the Rio Grande River with nine other individuals determined to be in the U.S. illegally. Baca-Baca allegedly served as the foot guide for the group and had been observed entering the U.S. illegally with a group of 14 individuals the day prior.
These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas comprises 68 counties located in the central and western areas of Texas, encompasses nearly 93,000 square miles and an estimated population of 7.6 million people. The district includes three of the five largest cities in Texas—San Antonio, Austin and El Paso—and shares 660 miles of common border with the Republic of Mexico.
These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Indictments and criminal complaints are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
###