Tag Archives: El Salvador

ICE Deports El Salvador National Wanted for Murder

December 27, 2012blogarrest, criminal alien, deportation removal, detention, DHS, El Salvador, ERO, ERO Air Operations, foreign fugitive, HSI, ICE, ICE Office of International Affairs, immigration fugitive, Interpol, murderAlex Meyerovich

An El Salvadoran national wanted for aggravated homicide in his home country was removed from the United States Tuesday, December 18, 2012, and turned over to El Salvadoran law enforcement officials by officers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO).

David Guzman-Urias aka El Directo, 24, is wanted on an outstanding arrest warrant in El Salvador which alleges that Oct. 28, 2007, at about 6:30 p.m., he committed aggravated homicide against David William Mejia with a machete. According to reports, the two men were drinking with another unidentified subject at a soccer field. Upon learning that Mejia had consumed all of the alcohol, Guzman allegedly thrust the machete into Mejia’s abdomen and continued to stab and cut him more than 20 times.

Guzman entered the United States illegally approximately Dec. 10, 2007. He was encountered by ERO after his arrest July 13 by the Loudoun County (Va.) Sheriff’s Office. Guzman entered ICE custody Aug. 14 and was served with a notice to appear before an immigration judge. A fingerprint check revealed the outstanding warrant for his arrest in El Salvador. On Sept. 25, an immigration judge ordered Guzman removed from the United States to El Salvador, where he will now face charges for murder.

“ERO is committed to working with our law enforcement partners overseas to ensure that individuals like this, who have violated our nation’s immigration laws and who are wanted for heinous crimes, are sent back to their home countries to face justice there,” said M. Yvonne Evans, field office director for ERO Washington. “We are also fortunate to have local law enforcement partners that value cooperation with ICE and today it has led to the removal of one more suspected murderer out of our communities.”

Guzman was flown via an ERO Air Operations (IAO) Unit charter flight to San Salvador,El Salvador, where he was turned over to the custody of the Policía Nacional Civil de El Salvador. Guzman’s removal was coordinated with the assistance of the ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) San Salvador.

Since Oct. 1, 2009, ERO has removed more than 500 foreign fugitives from the United States who were being sought in their native countries for serious crimes, including kidnapping, rape and murder. ERO works with ICE’s Office of International Affairs, foreign consular offices in the United States, and Interpol to identify foreign fugitives illegally present in the country.

El Salvador Murder Suspect and Prison Fugitive Deported by ICE

December 10, 2012blogarrest, deportation, detention, El Salvador, ERO, ERO Air Operations Unit, foreign fugitive, fugitive, homicide, ICE, ICE Office of International Affairs, murder, removalAlex Meyerovich

A Salvadoran gang member who escaped from prison in his native country while serving a life sentence for murder was handed over to authorities in El Salvador Wednesday, December 5, 2012, by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the latest results of stepped up collaborative efforts to locate Salvadoran criminal fugitives in the U.S. and return them to El Salvador to face justice.

Diego Quintanilla, 29, was repatriated to El Salvadoron board a charter flight coordinated by ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Air Operations Unit. Upon arrival, ERO officers turned the fugitive over to awaiting officers from the Salvadoran national police and Interpol.

Quintanilla, a documented member of the18th Street Gang in the U.S.and the Mara 18 Gang in El Salvador, was serving a sentence for murder and attempted murder at Cojutepeque prison in Cuscatlan, El Salvador, when he and 36 other Mara 18 Gang members escaped in August 2006. Subsequently, Salvadoran authorities issued an arrest warrant charging Quintanilla with evading capture. He was also the subject of an Interpol Blue Notice.

Quintanilla was taken into custody by officers with the Los Angeles Police Department Aug. 30 during a gang enforcement operation. Following his arrest, Quintanilla was turned over to ICE and the agency placed him in removal proceedings. In October, an immigration judge ordered Quintanilla deported, paving the way for his repatriation. During a pre-removal interview in Los Angeles last month, Salvadoran consular officials confirmed the existence of the outstanding arrest warrant.

“Criminals who seek to escape justice by fleeing to the United States will find no sanctuary in our communities” said John Duncan, ICE Assistant Attaché El Salvador. “As this case makes clear, ICE is working closely with its foreign law enforcement counterparts to promote public safety and hold criminals accountable — no matter where they commit their crimes.”

Officials point to Quintanilla’s deportation as yet another benefit of the expanded cooperation between ICE and authorities in El Salvador to identify, arrest and repatriate Salvadoran criminal suspects who flee to the U.S. to avoid justice. ICE officers are working closely with the El Salvadoran Civilian National Police (PNC), the Salvadoran National Interpol Office and Salvadoran Immigration as part of this effort. As a result, in fiscal year 2012, the PNC was able to execute more than 130 criminal arrest warrants immediately upon fugitives’ return to El Salvador aboard IAO removal flights. More than a fourth of those arrests involved homicide-related charges.

Since Oct. 1, 2009, ERO has removed more than 500 foreign fugitives from theUnited Stateswho were being sought in their native countries for serious crimes, including kidnapping, rape and murder. ERO works with ICE’s Office of International Affairs, foreign consular offices in the United States, and Interpol to identify foreign fugitives illegally present in the country.

Drug Ring and Money Laundering Operation Shut Down by HSI

October 25, 2012blogarrest, dominican republic, drug ring, drug trade, drug trafficking, El Salvador, HSI, ICE, illegal proceeds, Los Angeles, money laundering, sentencingAlex Meyerovich

Seven people were sentenced to federal prison Wednesday, October 17, 2012, for their roles in a drug trafficking and money laundering scheme that used Arkansas businesses to hide $315,000 in illegal proceeds from a California-based drug ring. The charges stemmed from a joint investigation launched in May 2011 by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and members of the Washington County Sheriff’s Department, Springdale Police Department and Rogers Police Department.

Manuel Haro-Gutierrez, 50, a citizen of the Dominican Republic, was sentenced to more than seven years in prison and fined $35,000 by U.S. District Court Judge Jimm Larry Hendren. Gladis Haro, 51, an aggravated felon from Guatemala previously removed from the United States, was sentenced to seven years imprisonment and fined $25,000. Osiris Depaz-Ramirez, 28, a citizen of Guatemala, was sentenced to more than two years imprisonment and Victor Palacios, 52, a citizen of El Salvador, was sentenced to eight months imprisonment.

Jania Haro, 34, a U.S. citizen, was sentenced to eight months imprisonment plus two years supervised release. Ivan Salan-Aguilar, 49, and Manuel Haro Jr., 24, also U.S. citizens, were each sentenced to one year and one day imprisonment plus two years supervised release.

The defendants were arrested Dec. 15 and pleaded guilty April 25.

Raymond R. Parmer Jr., special agent in charge of HSI New Orleans, said, “These defendants sought to hide the proceeds of drug trafficking by passing ill-gotten money through a seemingly legitimate business. Today’s sentencing shows how HSI and its law enforcement partners work to penetrate and dismantle elaborate criminal enterprises that threaten the safety and security of our nation.” Parmer oversees a five-state area of responsibility including Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee.

During the investigation it was discovered that Manuel Haro-Gutierrez and his wife, Gladis Haro, operated a multi-state methamphetamine and crack cocaine ring based in Los Angeles that funneled its profits through two Springdale, Ark., businesses owned by the Haro family – Haro Auto Repair and Paint, and the Rumba Room Night Club. HSI investigators traced a bulk of the laundered currency to the Los Angeles area, where Gladis Haro was residing.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the Drug Enforcement Agency assisted with the investigation.

Criminal Alien and Child Predator Sentenced for Illegal Reentry

September 4, 2012blogchild predator, criminal alien, deportation, El Salvador, ERO, gang, ICE, illegal immigrant, illegal immigration, illegal reentry, immigration, MS-13, removalAlex Meyerovich

A citizen and national of El Salvador and a member of the MS-13 street gang who was previously convicted of sexually assaulting a child in Fairfax County, Va., was sentenced to 12 months in federal prison Friday, August 31, 2012, for illegally reentering the United States after having been previously deported.

The case of illegal re-entry was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO).

According to court documents, Salvador Portillo, 30, illegally entered the United States and was removed by ICE Oct. 8, 2003. Thereafter, Portillo again illegally reentered the United States.

On Dec. 26, 2010, he sexually assaulted an 8-year-old girl in Fairfax County, Va. He was subsequently convicted of rape and sodomy in Fairfax County Circuit Court and sentenced to 25 years in prison. The 12 month sentence for illegal re-entry will follow the completion of the sentence term imposed by Fairfax County.

Portillo pleaded guilty to illegal re-entry July 23.

El Salvador Homicide Fugitive Apprehended, Deported

July 9, 2012blogCBP, deportation, detention, El Salvador, ERO, fugitive, homicide, ICE, murder, removalAlex Meyerovich

A man from El Salvador, who is wanted in his home country for homicide and aggravated assault, was deported and turned over to El Salvadoran law enforcement officials Thursday, July 5, 2012, by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO).

Carlos Alberto Tobar-Guevara, 33, was deported viaU.S.government charter flight July 5. An Interpol arrest warrant was issued for Tobar-Guevara June 3, 2010 in connection with the homicide and aggravated assault of an El Salvadorian national.

Tobar-Guevara illegally entered the United StatesMay 31 near Rio Grande City, Texas. U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Border Patrol agents apprehended him at that time. During routine processing June 2, CBP discovered that he was wanted in El Salvador for two egregious crimes. CBP transferred him to ERO custody where he remained until his removal July 5.

“ICE ensures that aliens do not escape justice in their home countries by seeking safe haven in the United States,” said Enrique M. Lucero, ERO San Antonio field office director. “ICE’s primary priority is to identify and remove aliens who pose a threat to our communities, which is a significant overall benefit to public safety.”

ERO is focused on smart, effective immigration enforcement that targets serious criminal aliens who present the greatest risk to the security of our communities, such as those charged with or convicted of homicide, rape, robbery, kidnapping, major drug offenses and threats to national security. ERO also prioritizes the arrest and removal of those who game the immigration system including immigration fugitives or those criminal aliens who have been previously deported and illegally re-entered the country.

Since Oct. 1, 2009, ERO has removed about 455 foreign fugitives from the United States who were being sought in their native countries for serious crimes, including kidnapping, rape and murder. ERO works with ICE’s Office of International Affairs, foreign consular offices in theUnited States, and Interpol to identify foreign fugitives illegally present in the country.

El Salvador National Charged for Sex Trafficking

June 1, 2012blogchild predator, criminal alien, DHS, El Salvador, HSI, ICE, illegal alien, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Operation Predator, sex traffickingAlex Meyerovich

An illegal alien from El Salvador was charged Wednesday, May 30, 2012, for child sex trafficking in four Kentucky counties, announced David J. Hale, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky. The indictment resulted from an investigation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Kentucky State Police.

Adulfo De Aquino-Cancino, 28, is charged with the following crimes: conspiring to recruit, entice, harbor and transport two juveniles to engage in commercial sex acts; aiding and abetting in sex trafficking juveniles; and attempting to persuade, induce, entice and coerce a juvenile to engage in prostitution. De Aquino-Cancino was indicted May 16 by a grand jury in Bowling Green.

According to an affidavit filed by an HSI special agent, between August 2011 and January
2012, De Aquino-Cancino recruited females and arranged for commercial sexual encounters; he transported them, and benefited financially from commercial sex transactions involving two minor females and several adult females in Green, Taylor, Adair and Barren counties in the Western District of Kentucky.

On Jan.19, De Aquino-Cancino was interviewed by a Kentucky State Police detective.
De Aquino-Cancino allegedly stated that he knew several girls in the Campbellsville, Ky.,
area who were prostitutes. He further stated that he travelled to Campbellsville, picked up the prostitutes, and took them to different locations where they performed commercial sex acts with the defendant’s friends. The prostitutes in turn paid De Aquino-Cancino for driving them to the locations. De Aquino-Cancino allegedly identified the two juveniles and affirmed that he knew what he was doing with these young girls was illegal. Following this interview, De Aquino-Cancino was arrested by Kentucky State Police.

If convicted, De Aquino-Cancino faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years
imprisonment and a maximum of life in prison, a $500,000 fine, and up to a lifetime of supervised release.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua D. Judd, Western District of Kentucky, is prosecuting the
case. A grand jury indictment is an accusation only; the accused is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

This investigation was part of Operation Predator, a nationwide HSI initiative to protect children from sexual predators, including those who travel overseas for sex with minors, Internet child pornographers, criminal alien sex offenders and child sex traffickers. HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at 1-866-DHS-2ICE or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators.

Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, at 1-800-843-5678 or www.cybertipline.com.