HIDALGO, Texas—U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations (OFO) at the Hidalgo and Roma International Bridges arrested eight persons wanted on outstanding arrest warrants for violations ranging from sexual and aggravated assault, narcotics, immigration and probation violations to missing persons this holiday weekend.
“CBP Field Operations is continuously assisting other federal as well as state/local law enforcement agencies in locating individuals that have outstanding arrest warrants who abscond to Mexico to avoid detection,” said Director of Field Operations David Higgerson, Laredo Field Office.
The most notable arrest occurred on Feb. 14 after CBP officers encountered Jonathan Contreras, a 21-year-old U.S. citizen from Mission, Texas at the Hidalgo International Bridge pedestrian walkway. An initial database check revealed the Contreras was a possible match to an arrest warrant which was confirmed in secondary utilizing biometric verification. CBP-OFO verified his identity and the warrant from the Mission Police Department, a second-degree felony sexual assault of a child which occurred in April 2013. Contreras was accused of allegedly having inappropriate sexual relations with a 14-year-old girl.
On Feb. 13, Bruno Jesus Munoz, a 22-year-old U.S. citizen from McAllen, Texas was arrested at the Hidalgo Int’l Bridge after CBP officers discovered that he had an outstanding arrest warrant from the Alamo, Texas Police Department. Munoz was charged with aggravated assault, a class-A misdemeanor for allegedly physically assaulting a 38-year-old male in Oct. 2014. Officers also located a missing juvenile and two males wanted for probation violations.
CBP officers at the Roma Port of Entry arrested 42-year-old Jesus Correa Gonzalez on Feb. 16 after freely advising officers he was surrendering. Officers confirmed his identity and warrants through CBP and law enforcement databases, which indicated Gonzalez had four outstanding arrest warrants for weapons and narcotics violations from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), U.S. Marshals Service, Edinburg Police Department and the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office. Officers in Roma also arrested two adult males from Mexico for immigration violations.
CBP Field Operations turned over all persons arrested to the appropriate police departments or law enforcement agencies.
CBP’s Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas Port of Entry is part of the South Texas Campaign, which leverages federal, state and local resources to combat transnational criminal organizations.