Border Patrol busts San Benito stash house

By Sergio Chapa
Wednesday, July 29, 2009 at 5:15 p.m.


Two Central American men faced a judge after being arrested for running an immigrant stash house in San Benito.

Border Patrol agents arrested Ariel Alberto Gomez-Tellez and Jose Carlos Garmendia-Mejia under harboring illegal immigrant charges on Monday.

Court records show that Border Patrol agents had been staking out a house at 635 Bonham when the car of a known immigrant smuggler pulled up.

Gomez-Tellez allegedly tried to run out the back door but was caught.

Border Patrol agents found six illegal immigrants inside the San Benito home.

The immigrants identified Gomez-Tellez and Garmendia-Mejia as stash house operators.

Both men appeared before U.S. Magistrate Court Judge Felix Recio on Wednesday morning.

Judge Recio denied bond for the two men pending a court hearing on Monday.

Court records show that Gomez-Tellez is from Nicaragua while Garmendia-Mejia is from Honduras.


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