Tag Archives: HPD

Indictment for 16 in Alien Smuggling Ring

October 18, 2012blogalien harboring, alien smuggling, arrest, drug ring, drug smuggling, drug trafficking, drugs, HPD, HSI, human trafficking, ICE, illegal alien, illegal immigration, indictment, narcotics, smuggling operation, USCIS, warrantsAlex Meyerovich

Sixteen people were arrested Tuesday, October 16, 2012, on alien smuggling and/or drug smuggling charges. The arrests were announced by: U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson, Southern District of Texas; Special Agent in Charge Sean McElroy, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); and Chief Charles McClelland, Houston Police Department (HPD).

The two-year investigation resulted in the return of two sealed indictments Sept. 20, which were unsealed following the execution of arrest warrants Oct. 16 and 17.

The first indictment outlines a long-term smuggling operation dating back to July 2011. According to the indictment, illegal aliens were smuggled across the United States-Mexico border and were either required to pay a fee or transport narcotics into the country to satisfy their smuggling debt. The indictment outlines how this group allegedly used conference calls during their smuggling venture as they tried to locate and avoid law enforcement.

Aliens and drugs were transported through the South Texas area into and throughout the United States, according to the charges. Those operating the smuggling ring were allegedly paid large sums of money for their involvement.

“Transnational criminal organizations account for a growing amount of crime in our communities and across the country,” said McElroy. “HSI is committed to working together with our local law enforcement partners to keep our communities safe.”

Following are those who were arrested Oct. 16: Eliazar Gonzales, 28, Jose Luis Fuentes, 30, Ruben Avila, 31, Daniel Avila, 29, Jose Antonio Lopez, 24, Jose Galvan Arranda, 50, Israel Alcaraz, 31, and Vinnie Chavez, 34, all of Houston; Noemi Rosales-Sanchez, 35, of Roma, Texas; Marino Garcia, 36, of Mexico; and Otoniel Dumari Hernandez-Rojas, 31, of El Salvador. They are expected to appear before Magistrate Judge Mary Milloy Oct. 17. Fidel Galarza Cardenas, 46, of Mexico, made his initial appearance Oct. 11 after being transferred from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

If convicted of the marijuana conspiracy charge, the defendants face up to 40 years imprisonment and a $5 million fine; if convicted of alien smuggling, they face up to 10 years and $250,000 fine.

Four others were also arrested Wednesday, October 17, 2012, but charged in a separate case: Aldo Teyes-Sanchez, 29, Eulogio Alanis, 27, Antonio Rivas-Vargas, 29, all of Houston; and Saul Porros-Sanchez, 24, of Mexico, are charged with conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine. They face up to 40 years in prison and a $5 million fine.

Those taken into custody Wednesday, October 17, 2012, are expected to appear this week before Judge Milloy.

These charges resulted from an investigation by HSI and HPD, with the assistance of the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark E. Donnelly and Timothy S. Braley are prosecuting this case.

An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.

Two Criminal Aliens Sentenced for Alien Smuggling and Hostage Taking

September 27, 2012blogalien harboring, alien smuggling, arrest, CBP, criminal alien, harboring illegal aliens, hostage, hostage taking, HPD, HSI, ICE, illegal alien, sentencingAlex Meyerovich

An illegal alien from Mexico was sentenced Tuesday, September 25, 2012, to 36 months in prison for harboring illegal aliens, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson, Southern District of Texas. The investigation was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Houston Police Department (HPD).

Carlos Martinez-Aguilar, 44, was sentenced Sept. 25 to three years in prison. Events leading to his arrest began Aug. 19, 2011, when the Houston Emergency Center received a 911 call at its operations facility from a subject who spoke only Spanish. The victim advised he was being held against his will at a house in Houston by alien smugglers who had been hired to smuggle him to an unspecified location in the United States. He claimed another person, later identified as Cesar Avila, 38, an illegal alien from Honduras, was armed with a handgun and had threatened to kill them. The victim indicated that he and others feared for their lives.

The 911 call was traced to a residence located on the 100 block of Jamaica Street in Houston by HPD officers. The building had no windows and the French doors on the north side of the residence had its glass panes covered with aluminum foil. Once inside, several people, later identified as hostages, began covertly pointing to Avila as the hostage taker and smuggler. Officers also discovered a semi-automatic handgun and a ledger detailing payments by the smuggling organization under the mattress where Avila was sitting.

Several of the aliens held hostage identified Martinez-Aguilar as having come into the building where they were being held, drinking beer with Avila prior to law enforcement arriving, and inquiring about the status of payments of smuggling fees. The victims indicated Martinez-Aguilar was not involved in abusing or threatening them and had provided them food and blankets. Officers discovered Martinez-Aguilar had been living in the larger house in front of the building where the aliens were housed.

Another victim stated that prior to the arrival of the police, he and the others were being held against their will and threatened with death if they did not pay or arrange to have paid another $5,000 to the smugglers.

Martinez-Aguilar pleaded guilty Jan. 31. Avila was convicted by a Houston jury June 6 and is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 9, at which time he faces up to life in prison.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Julie Searle and Doug Davis, Southern District of Texas, prosecuted the case.

82 Freed from Horrific Alien Trafficking Stash House

September 21, 2012blogalien smuggling, alien trafficking, border, CBP, DHS, HPD, HSI, human smuggling, human trafficking, ICE, illegal alien, illegal immigration, stash houseAlex Meyerovich

An alleged hostage situation resulted in 82 individuals being freed, and four suspected human smugglers arrested, Wednesday, September 19, 2012, from a human smuggling stash house by agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and officers from the Houston Police Department (HPD).

A call was received Tuesday, September 18, 2012, from the mother of a 16 year-old female being held hostage in the Houston area. HSI and HPD initiated the investigation, resulting in the rescue of the teenager on Wednesday, September 19, 2012, in a parking lot located near I-10 and Gessner St.

Based on information developed at the scene, HSI identified a stash house, operating out of a residence located on the 3400 block of Boxelder Dr. in west Houston, suspected of holding 70 individuals who allegedly been smuggled into the United States. Additional information indicated that the individuals inside were being held against their will by smugglers carrying firearms.

A total of 86 individuals were discovered at the residence from the following countries: Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico. Of the 86 individuals encountered, 62 were male, 15 were female, and nine were juveniles. Their ages range from 14 to 48 years-old and four individuals encountered at the house are suspected of being human smugglers from Mexico.

“During the course of these investigations illegal aliens smuggled into the United States can become kidnapping victims while awaiting the payoff of smuggling fees,” said Sean McElroy, deputy special agent in charge of HSI Houston. “HSI is committed to using every available resource to identify, investigate and arrest those transnational criminal organizations involved in crimes related to hostage taking as well as human smuggling.”

All 82 freed from the stash house are currently in ICE custody and are undergoing administrative and medical processing. The investigation is ongoing.