El Paso, Texas–Criminal activity in the El Paso Sector did not slow over the Martin Luther King holiday as agents made contraband seizures, arrested wanted subjects and assisted other law enforcement agencies in their operations.
In the boot-heel area of New Mexico, agents assigned to the Lordsburg Station started the weekend with a 98-pound seizure of marijuana. Prior to the arrest, two subjects were seen carrying two large bundles in an area south of mile-marker 36, along I-10. Agents assigned to the area responded and apprehended both smugglers identified as 30-year old Jose Rios-Rios, and 21-year old Erik Arturo Gonzalez-Castro, both Citizens of Mexico. The men and contraband were turned over to the Border Enforcement Security Task Force for prosecution.
In far west Texas, agents assigned to the U.S. Border Patrol Immigration Checkpoint in Desert Haven, Texas, interviewed the occupants of a Hyundai that was traveling through the area. Inconsistencies with information provided to agents and uncooperative behavior led to further investigation. The subject, later identified as 39-year old Miguel Gonzalez Barona, from Mexico, was escorted into the checkpoint, and fingerprints and biographical information determined that Gonzalez was in the United States illegally. Furthermore, records revealed a prior order of removal. Gonzalez was processed and will be prosecuted for "Re-entry After Deportation".
In a separate case near Deming, three Mexican Nationals were arrested in the evening hours on Sunday for carrying more than 100 pounds of marijuana into the U.S. Utilizing specialized technology, agents saw three individuals walking in the desert carrying large backpacks. Agents and a U.S. Border Patrol canine converged on the area and found 36-year old Jesus Orquide Carrasco, 19-year old Luis Alfredo Carrasco Gil, 20-year old Adrian Fierro Corrales, all residents of Mexico. The men were hiding in the desert with nearly 131 pounds of marijuana laying nearby. The contraband was seized and the subjects were released to the custody of the Drug Enforcement Administration in Las Cruces, New Mexico for prosecution.
The United States Border Patrol also worked hand-in-hand with the Office of Field Operations (OFO) in multiple events this weekend. One individual was arrested attempting to illegally export more than 100 rounds of ammunition out of the United States through the Ysleta Port of Entry.
In addition, Border Patrol agents also assisted CBP Office of Field Operations OFO after receiving a medical assistance call. The call was in response to a young man who had been shot in Mexico, and was being transported into the United States through the Fort Hancock, TX Port of Entry.
In all, the long weekend resulted in 156 apprehensions, 110 rounds of ammunition seized and almost 500 pounds of marijuana seized throughout all of the El Paso Sector.
The U.S. Border Patrol continues to provide 24-hour patrol operations each and every day, and works hand-in-hand with our fellow law enforcement partners to help keep communities and our nation’s borders and safe.