Thread: U.S. Border Patrol Weekly Blotter (04/21/2011)

U.S. Border Patrol Weekly Blotter (04/21/2011)

Border Patrol agents seized over 19,274 pounds of marijuana. Agents arrested eleven criminal aliens and eight gang members. There were eleven rocking incidents.

*This overview is compiled from incidents reported to the Office of Border Patrol and is not intended to reflect all Border Patrol enforcement actions. Most arrests and seizures fail to meet the requirements for mandatory reporting to the Office of Border Patrol.


Reported on April 14, 2011


Rio Grande Valley Sector – Border Patrol agents arrested an illegal alien from Mexico near Brownsville, Texas. Records checks revealed the subject had an extensive criminal history, including prior convictions for murder and aggravated robbery in the state of Texas. The subject had also been previously removed from the United States.


Tucson Sector – Border Patrol agents seized 966 pounds of marijuana, a stolen .45 caliber handgun, two magazines with 16 rounds of ammunition, and arrested four illegal aliens from Mexico near Shopisk, Arizona. The subjects were carrying backpacks of marijuana and attempted to abscond when agents approached. One subject was found in possession of the loaded handgun.


Tucson Sector – Border Patrol agents arrested an illegal alien from Mexico near Cowlic, Arizona. Records checks revealed the subject had an extensive criminal history, including a prior conviction for unlawful restraint in the state of Illinois. The subject had also been previously removed from the United States.


Tucson Sector – Border Patrol agents seized 143 pounds of marijuana and a .40 caliber handgun that were abandoned in the desert near Sasabe, Arizona.


Reported on April 15, 2011


El Paso Sector – Border Patrol agents arrested an illegal alien from Mexico near El Paso, Texas. During processing, the subject admitted to being a member of the Paisa gang. Records checks revealed the subject had an extensive criminal history and had been previously removed from the United States.


Laredo Sector – Border Patrol agents arrested an illegal alien from Mexico near Freer, Texas. Records checks revealed the subject had an active warrant of arrest for homicide issued in the state of Texas. The subject had been previously removed from the United States.


Rio Grande Valley Sector – Border Patrol agents seized 48 pounds of marijuana, a Chevrolet truck, and arrested two United States Citizens (USC) near Falfurrias, Texas.


Rio Grande Valley Sector – Border Patrol agents seized 1,703 pounds of marijuana and recovered two trucks after discovering the abandoned vehicles partially submerged in the Rio Grande River near Mission, Texas. Records checks revealed both vehicles had been reported stolen.


Reported on April 16, 2011


Laredo Sector – Border Patrol agents arrested an illegal alien from El Salvador near Laredo, Texas. During processing, the subject admitted to being a member of the Mara Salvatrucha 13 (MS-13) gang. Records checks revealed the subject had been previously removed from the United States.


Rio Grande Valley Sector – Border Patrol agents arrested a USC, 12 illegal aliens from Mexico and seized a U-haul truck at the traffic checkpoint near Falfurrias, Texas. The driver presented himself for inspection and a Border Patrol canine alerted to the truck. A subsequent search by agents revealed the aliens concealed within the vehicle.


Rio Grande Valley Sector – Border Patrol agents seized 2,240 pounds of marijuana near Fronton, Texas. Agents observed several unidentified subjects drop bundles of suspected contraband in the brush and abscond into Mexico. Upon inspection, the bundles were found to contain marijuana.


Tucson Sector – Border Patrol agents discovered a tunnel west of the DeConcini Port of Entry in Nogales, Arizona. Agents confirmed that the incomplete tunnel extended approximately 70 feet into the United States.


Reported on April 17, 2011


Rio Grande Valley Sector – Border Patrol agents arrested an illegal alien from Mexico near Sarita, Texas. Records checks revealed the subject was a convicted sex offender and had been previously removed from the United States.


Rio Grande Valley Sector – Border Patrol agents arrested an illegal alien from Guatemala near Havana, Texas. During processing, the subject admitted to being a member of the MS-13 gang. Records checks revealed the subject had been previously removed from the United States.


Rio Grande Valley Sector – Border Patrol agents seized 1,751 pounds of marijuana near Garciasville, Texas. Agents received a report of suspected illegal activity and responded to the area. Upon arrival, agents located the abandoned marijuana concealed in the brush.


Tucson Sector – Border Patrol agents seized 45 pounds of marijuana near Nogales, Arizona. Agents were retrieving the abandoned marijuana near the international border when unidentified individuals in Mexico began assaulting the agents with rocks. Agents deployed a Pepperball Launching System and the attackers broke off the assault.


Reported on April 18, 2011


Del Rio Sector – Border Patrol agents arrested an illegal alien from El Salvador near Eagle Pass, Texas. During processing, the subject admitted to being a member of the MS-13 gang. Records checks revealed the subject had an extensive criminal history and had been previously removed from the United States.


El Paso Sector – Border Patrol agents arrested an illegal alien from Mexico near Sunland Park, New Mexico. Records checks revealed the subject had a prior conviction for rape of spouse by force in the state of California and that he had been previously removed from the United States.


Laredo Sector – Border Patrol agents arrested an illegal alien from Mexico near Pearsall, Texas. Records checks revealed the subject had prior convictions for child molestation in the state of Georgia and that he had been previously removed from the United States.


Laredo Sector – Border Patrol agents arrested a USC, six illegal aliens from Mexico, and seized a Ford truck near Freer, Texas. Records checks revealed the USC driver of the truck had prior convictions for sexual contact with an individual less than 11 years, sodomy, sexual abuse, and endangering the welfare of a child in the state of New York.


Rio Grande Valley Sector – Border Patrol agents arrested an illegal alien from Mexico near Progreso, Texas. Records checks revealed the subject had prior convictions for homicide and alien smuggling, and had been previously removed from the United States.


Tucson Sector – Border Patrol agents seized a Chevrolet pickup truck, 356 pounds of marijuana, and a loaded AK-47 rifle near Sil Nakya, Arizona. Agents responded to a report of suspected illegal activity and discovered the truck abandoned in a dry wash. A search of the vehicle revealed the marijuana and the loaded weapon.


Reported on April 19, 2011


El Paso Sector – Border Patrol agents arrested two illegal aliens from Mexico near Deming, New Mexico. Agents received a call for assistance from local law enforcement officers in the search for two escapees from a local county jail. Agents responded to the area, acquired foot sign and tracked the fugitives, resulting in their apprehension.


Rio Grande Valley Sector – Border Patrol agents arrested an illegal alien from El Salvador near Mission, Texas. During processing, the subject was identified as a member of the MS-13 gang. Records checks revealed the subject had an extensive criminal history and had been previously removed from the United States.


Rio Grande Valley Sector – Border Patrol agents seized 1,438 pounds of marijuana, a pickup truck, and arrested a national of Mexico near Escobares, Texas. The subject was arrested after abandoning the vehicle in a field. A search by agents uncovered the marijuana in the vehicle. Records checks revealed the truck had been reported stolen.


Tucson Sector – Border Patrol agents seized 2,703 pounds of marijuana and a truck in Nogales, Arizona. The vehicle was found abandoned. A Border Patrol canine alerted to the truck and a subsequent search by agents uncovered the marijuana.


Reported on April 20, 2011


El Centro Sector – Border Patrol agents arrested an illegal alien from Mexico near Calexico, California. Records checks revealed the subject had a prior conviction for felony sexual battery in the state of California, and had been previously removed from the United States.


Miami Sector – Border Patrol agents arrested an illegal alien from Mexico in Orlando, Florida. Records checks revealed the subject had a prior conviction for murder in the state of Illinois, and had been previously removed from the United States.


Rio Grande Valley Sector – Border Patrol agents seized 5,790 pounds of marijuana, a tractor-trailer, and arrested two USCs at the traffic checkpoint near Sarita, Texas. A Border Patrol canine alerted to the trailer, and a subsequent search by agents uncovered the marijuana.


Rio Grande Valley Sector – Border Patrol agents seized 1,507 pounds of marijuana and a Chevrolet Suburban near Fronton, Texas. The vehicle was observed leaving the Rio Grande River area loaded with suspected narcotics in plain view. Agents followed the vehicle back to the river where it struck a tree and the driver absconded into Mexico. The marijuana was discovered in the abandoned vehicle.


Tucson Sector – Border Patrol agents seized 119 pounds of marijuana, a loaded .38 caliber revolver, and arrested three illegal aliens from Mexico near Tumacacori, Arizona.


Tucson Sector – Border Patrol agents seized a loaded 9mm handgun, magazine, and fifteen 9mm rounds of ammunition near Three Points, Arizona. An agent was in foot pursuit of two suspected illegal aliens when the subjects dropped the backpacks they were carrying. The subjects absconded. A search of the backpacks revealed the handgun and ammunition.


Tucson Sector – Border Patrol agents seized 465 pounds of marijuana, a Jeep Grand Cherokee, a MAC-11 machine pistol, and arrested an illegal alien from Mexico near Amado, Arizona. Records checks revealed the machine pistol was reported stolen in the state of Arizona.

http://cbp.gov/xp/cgov/border_security/ ... 4_0420.xml

Drugs and criminals sure keep the border patrol busy.

I.C.E. News Release

April 22, 2011
Washington, DC

ICE's top 5 news stories for the week ending April 22, 2011

April 20, 2011 - Korean fugitive captured in Los Angeles-area returned to South Korea

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) officers turned over Kyochung Lee to South Korean law enforcement officials this week. Lee was wanted in South Korea for a fraud scheme that cost victims more than $100 million. Full Story

April 19, 2011 - Members of New Jersey criminal street gang face federal drug charges

ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents and Irvington Police Department officers arrested 10 gang members who allegedly operated a crack distribution network in Irvington, N.J. If convicted, they could face statutory minimum prison terms of 10 years to life and up to a $10 million fine. Full Story

April 19, 2011 - ICE agents return more than $3,500 to victim of telemarketing fraud

ICE HSI agents returned $3,561.17 to an elderly victim of a telemarketing scam. The caller told the victim that he had won a $1 million lottery prize, but he had to pay fees and service charges to be able to collect the fictitious winnings. Full Story

April 18, 2011 - New Jersey businessman, company plead guilty to contracting fraud

ICE HSI agents conducted an investigation that revealed that Eric Helf and his company, Staff Manufacturing Corporation (Staff Gasket), fraudulently won Department of Defense contracts by manufacturing inferior products at a lower cost. Helf and his company pleaded guilty to wire fraud and an export control violation. Full Story

April 18, 2011 - Racketeering probe leads to arrest of San Diego-area gang members for sex trafficking and other crimes

ICE HSI, along with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and local California law enforcement agencies, conducted an 18-month investigation titled "Operation Vice Grip." The investigation resulted in the arrest of 29 individuals, many of whom were members of the Oceanside Crips gang, on charges related to racketeering and sex trafficking of underage girls and women. Full Story

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is the largest investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security.

ICE is a 21st century law enforcement agency with broad responsibilities for a number of key homeland security priorities. For more information, visit www.ICE.gov. To report suspicious activity, call 1-866-347-2423.

U.S. Dept of Homeland Security

http://www.ice.gov/news/releases/1104/1 ... gtondc.htm