LAREDO, Texas – Over the last several days, Laredo Sector Border Patrol agents and law enforcement partners shut down six stash houses and arrested nearly 150 undocumented individuals throughout Laredo.
The first stash house was found during the mid-afternoon of June 15. Agents assigned to Laredo North Station, along with Webb County Constables Precinct 3 (WCCP3) Deputies, responded to a report of suspicious activity at an apartment in northwest Laredo which led to the discovery of nine undocumented individuals from Mexico.
The second incident occurred the next day at noon at a hotel on San Bernardo Avenue. Laredo North Station agents along with Laredo Police Department (LPD) discovered three individuals in the U.S. illegally from Mexico.
The third stash house was discovered during the late evening of June 16, agents from Laredo North Station, LPD, and Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) apprehended 42 undocumented individuals in several hotel rooms on Mines Road from the countries of El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua.
The fourth incident occurred during the early morning of June 18, as agents from the Laredo South Station, WCCP3, and DPS received information of a residence on Seymour Street being used as a stash house. Law enforcement officers approached the residence and found 19 undocumented individuals from the countries of Mexico and Guatemala.
An additional 19 undocumented individuals were arrested by law enforcement officers at a stash house on Lyon Street, after information was received of suspicious activity at the residence.
The final stash house was found in the evening of June 21, when Laredo South Station agents, DPS, LPD, and other federal law enforcement partners approached a suspected stash house in central Laredo. Inside the residence were 53 undocumented individuals from the countries of Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador.
None of the individuals from the stash houses were wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) when found. The individuals were provided PPE and were medically screened and processed accordingly.
The use of stash houses by criminal organizations continues to be a threat to national security and to the citizens of our Nation, but they are also a danger to the people they exploit by concealing them in dilapidated close quarters.
The cooperation between our local law enforcement partners in our communities continue to have a great impact to the criminal element and making our communities safer. Help us take a stand against these criminal organizations and their dangerous acts by reporting suspicious activity in our neighborhoods.
To report suspicious activity such as human and/or drug smuggling, download the “USBP Laredo Sector” App or contact the Laredo Sector Border Patrol toll free at 1-800-343-1994. If you see something, say something.