Texas Weekly Border Roundup: CBP Arrest 129, 5 Child Sex Offenders, Seize $18.3 Million In Drugs
David LeDoux
TEXAS – Below you will find the latest information available for reported drug smuggling, human smuggling and trafficking, and illegal crossings over the Texas border and ports over the past week.
Most news outlets report snippets of the issues that happen on our southern border and only when it fits within their political ideology, all the while downplaying, exaggerating, misleading, and inconsistent information about our southern border activity.
Our border issues are complex, and they affect all Texans and Americans.
Texas is our home and to most Texans, the border isn’t a political issue or a tool to use against another political party; this is a safety and security issue for our children, families, friends, and local and national law enforcement.
To better comprehend the complex issues of drug smuggling, human and sex trafficking of children and adults, unaccompanied children, and illegal immigrant crossings, including child molesters, convicted criminals, murderers, gang members, where they come from, we need real numbers, facts, and statistics.
The information we provide ONLY encompasses the Texas and Mexico border.
This information has been gathered and compiled directly from information by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), which is under the purview of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
As for the accuracy of the information below, we can only decipher and report the information released. Therefore, the number of incidents, arrests, types of narcotics, weight, or the street value of said narcotics is considered the minimum amount.
As you read, we hope the information provided will help all Texans and Americans better understand the complexity of our current immigration laws and policies created by our D.C. lawmakers.
All people apprehended by the Border Patrol undergo criminal history checks using biometrics to ensure their criminal histories are positively identified.
The public is encouraged to take a stand against crime in their communities and to help save lives by reporting suspicious activity at 1-800-863-9382 or contact their website at http://www.cbp.gov.
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JUST THE STATS
• SEPTEMBER 21 – SEPTEMBER 25, 2020* •
TEXAS BORDER APPREHENSIONS & SEIZURES REPORTED
| APPREHENSIONS & SEIZURES (*Excluding narcotics. For narcotics, see table below) |
TOTAL |
| TOTAL ARRESTS/APPREHENSIONS |
129- ADULTS |
| U.S. CITIZENS (A-USC: Adult, United States Citizen, J-USC: Juvenile, United States Citizen) | 5- USC (All arrests were for drug smuggling) |
| SEIZED PASSENGER VEHICLES | 11 |
| SEIZED COMMERCIAL VEHICLES | 3- COMMERCIAL TRACTOR TRAILERS 1- COMMERCIAL PASSENGER BUS |
| SEIZURES |
1- SHIPMENT OF FRESH PRODUCE |
| COUNTRIES OF APPREHENSIONS (Home countries of those apprehended/arrested) (USC: United States Citizen) |
EL SALVADOR, GUATEMALA, HONDURAS, MEXICO & USC |
*PLEASE NOTE: It is not a crime to carry more than $10,000 over then border. However, it is a federal offense not to declare currency or monetary instruments totaling $10,000 or more to a CBP officer upon entry or exit from the U.S. or to conceal it with intent to evade reporting requirements. Failure to declare may result in seizure of the currency and/or arrest. An individual may petition for the return of the money seized by CBP officers, but the petitioner must prove that the source and intended use of the currency were legitimate.
APPREHENSIONS WITH PREVIOUS U.S. CONVICTIONS
| CONVICTION(S) OR ALLEGED CRIME(S) COMMITTED |
LOCATION OF CRIME | SENTENCE OR OUTSTANDING WARRANT |
| CONVICTION RAPE-STRONG ARM AND SEX OFFENSE AGAINST CHILD-FONDLING (INDECENT LIBERTIES WITH A CHILD) |
WINSTON-SALEM, NORTH CAROLINA |
26 MONTHS CONFINEMENT INCARCERATION |
| CONVICTION SEXUAL PENETRATION OF A MINOR (UPON PERSON 13 OR OLDER BUT UNDER 16 YEARS OF AGE) |
LOVINGTON, |
36 MONTHS INCARCERATION
|
| ALLEGED AGGRAVATED SEXUAL ASSAULT OF A MINOR |
CITY OF GEORGE WEST, LIVE OAK COUNTY, TEXAS |
OUTSTANDING WARRANT |
| ALLEGED SEXUAL ASSAULT – CARNAL ABUSE |
STORM LAKE POLICE DEPARTMENT, IOWA | OUTSTANDING WARRANT |
| ALLEGED WANTED ON AN AGGRAVATED SEXUAL ASSAULT CHARGE, A FIRST-DEGREE FELONY *ALLEGED INCIDENT THAT OCCURRED IN 2015 INVOLVING A FEMALE MINOR, A FAMILY MEMBER UNDER THE AGE OF 14 |
NOT REPORTED | OUTSTANDING WARRANT SIGNED IN 2018 |
*As reported by the U.S. Customs & Border Protection
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WEEKLY NARCOTIC SEIZURES
| TYPE OF NARCOTIC | WEIGHT | STREET VALUE |
| COCAINE |
503.22 lbs. | $3,877,530 |
| MARIJUANA | 3186.56 lbs. | $637,305 |
| METHAMPHETAMINE | 593.72 lbs. | $13,803,050 |
| TOTAL | 4,283.50 lbs. | $18,317,855 |
*As reported by the U.S. Customs & Border Protection The totals below are an estimate of what was reported by Customs and Border Protection in pounds and street prices. Street prices are determined by the purity and quality of the specific drug seized.
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WHERE WE GET OUR INFORMATION
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Laredo Port of Entry CBP Officers Seize Hard Narcotics Worth $10.1 Million at World Trade Bridge 
Friday, September 25, 2020 | LAREDO, Texas—U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations at the Laredo Port of Entry seized hard narcotics valued at $10.1…
CBP Officers at Pharr Cargo Facility Discover $960K in Cocaine in Commercial Shipment
Friday, September 25, 2020 | PHARR, Texas—U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations (OFO) at the Pharr International Bridge cargo facility discovered $960,500 worth…
Border Patrol Captures Another Convicted Sex Offender
Friday, September 25, 2020 | EAGLE PASS, Texas – Agents assigned to the Eagle Pass Station arrested Israel Picon-Monzon, 31, a citizen of Guatemala, shortly after he entered the United…
CBP Field Operations Seizes Over $4.5 Million in Hard Narcotics at Pharr and Hidalgo International Bridges
Thursday, September 24, 2020 | PHARR, Texas—U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations at the Pharr International Bridge cargo facility thwarted a smuggling…
CBP Field Operations Arrests Man Wanted on Sexual Assault Charges at Anzalduas International Bridge
Thursday, September 24, 2020 | ANZALDUAS, Texas—U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations at the Anzalduas International Bridge arrested a 48-year-old man, a…
Several Individuals Freed from Locked Travel Trailer
Wednesday, September 23, 2020 | LAREDO, TEXAS – U.S. Border Patrol agents and Customs and Border Protection officers, working with the Zapata County…
Agents Arrest Illegal Alien With Gun
Tuesday, September 22, 2020 | UVALDE, Texas – U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to the Uvalde Station seized a handgun among many illegal items from a Mexican national illegally…
Border Patrol Agents Apprehend Convicted Sex Offender
Tuesday, September 22, 2020 | EAGLE PASS, Texas – Agents assigned to the Eagle Pass Station arrested Rigoberto Ortiz-Martinez, 38, a citizen of Mexico, shortly after he entered the…
CBP Officers at Hidalgo International Bridge Seize $742K in
Methamphetamine
Tuesday, September 22, 2020 | HIDALGO, Texas—U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations at the Hidalgo International Bridge made two significant…
Laredo CBP Officers Apprehend Fugitives Sought for Sexual Offenses
Tuesday, September 22, 2020 | LAREDO, Texas – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Laredo Port of Entry detained two men with outstanding warrants for sexual offenses…
CBP Field Operations Seizes Over $190K in Unreported Currency at Eagle Pass Port of Entry
Tuesday, September 22, 2020 | EAGLE PASS, Texas—U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Office of Field Operations (OFO) officers at the Eagle Port of Entry seized over $190,000 in…
Multiple Smuggling Events Lead to 60 Apprehensions in the Rio GrandeValley
Monday, September 21, 2020 | EDINBURG, Texas – Over the weekend, Border Patrol agents thwarted three smuggling cases that led to the rescue of two aliens confined in a vehicle…
Border Patrol Agents Continue to Rescue Passengers Hidden in Grain Hopper Train Cars
Monday, September 21, 2020 | LAREDO, Texas – U.S. Border Patrol agents from the Hebbronville Station rescued several…
ICE El Paso Transfers 59 Mexican Nationals With Drug Convictions To Mexico As Part Of The US-Mexico Treaty Transfer
EL PASO, Texas – Officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) transferred 59 Mexican nationals, serving prison sentences for drug convictions in the United States, to their home country Wednesday.
ICE officers in El Paso turned over the inmates – all men – to Mexican authorities at the Santa Teresa Port of Entry in Santa Teresa, New Mexico.
“The transfer of these inmates, who will complete their drug sentences in their home country, demonstrates the robust cooperation between the United States and Mexico,” said Juan Acosta, acting field office director for ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) El Paso. “ICE is carrying out its mission by removing convicted criminal aliens from the country, and at the same time, saving taxpayer dollars by removing these individuals from our prison system.”
All 59 inmates transferred Wednesday were serving sentences for conspiring to possess with the intention to distribute 50 grams or more of a mixture of a substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine.
The inmates will complete the remainder of their sentences in Mexico as part of the treaty. The process included the inmates requesting to be transferred to their home country.
ICE officers interviewed the 59 Mexican nationals, who were transferred from prisons throughout the United States to the La Tuna Federal Correctional Institute in Vinton, Texas, to await their transfer, and to ensure they were amenable to removal under the Immigration and Nationality Act.
The U.S. Congress enacted this legislation in December 1977 authorizing the United States to participate in international prisoner transfers and set the requirements of the transfer program.
The United States entered in to its first transfer treaty with Mexico in 1977, and since that time has entered into 11 additional bilateral transfer agreements and two multilateral transfer conventions.
These international agreements give the United States transfer treaty relationships with nearly 80 countries.
This is the second such transfer in the past year. In December, 41 inmates were removed to Mexico as part of the treaty.
