Thread: ICE's top 5 news stories for the week ending December 18, 2015

News Releases

OPERATIONAL

12/21/2015

ICE's top 5 news stories for the week ending December 18, 2015

December 15, 2015 – Denver-area man indicted for selling counterfeit merchandise

A Denver Grand Jury indictment was unsealed charging a Denver-area man with illegally selling counterfeit purses and other merchandise for years. Full Story

December 14, 2015 – DOJ, DHS announce joint guidance to employers on internal Form I-9 audits

The Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division and the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced the issuance of a joint Guidance for Employers Conducting Internal Employment Eligibility Verification Form I-9 Audits. Full Story

December 17, 2015 – ICE San Antonio officers remove twice-deported Mexican man who is facing homicide charges

A Mexican man, who is wanted in his native country for aggravated homicide, was deported by officers with ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO). Full Story

December 17, 2015 – SEVP releases quarterly international student data

There are 1.2 million international students using an F (academic) or M (vocational) visa to study in the United States according to the latest "SEVIS by the Numbers," a quarterly report on international student trends prepared by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), part of ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Full Story

December 15, 2015 – ICE arrests former teacher for possession of child pornography

A former teacher of Toa Baja charged with one count of possession of child pornography was arrested by ICE’s HSI special agents. Full Story

https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/ic...cember-18-2015
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I.C.E. News Releases


12/21/2015

WASHINGTON, DC


OPERATIONAL


HSI regional attaché receives award from Korean Supreme Prosecutor’s Office
Taekuk Cho, who earlier this year received an award from Korea’s president, was recognized at a formal ceremony for assisting Korea with some of the nation’s highest profile cases.


12/18/2015

PHOENIX, AZ

ENFORCEMENT AND REMOVAL


Phoenix ICE officers remove twice-deported Mexican man who faces murder charges
Federico Calderon-Aguilar, 37, was repatriated under tight security, escorted by members of ERO's operations coordination team. Upon arriving at the port of entry, Calderon was transferred to the custody of Mexican law enforcement.


12/18/2015

CORPUS CHRISTI, TX



CHILD EXPLOITATION


Santa Claus impersonator arrested in southeast Texas for alleged distribution of child pornography
Reynaldo Ramirez, 37, of Corpus Christi, had allegedly downloaded more than 1,000 images of child pornography ranging in ages from toddlers to pre-teens, according to information in the criminal complaint..



12/18/2015

CORPUS CHRISTI, TX



CHILD EXPLOITATION


Southeast Texas man pleads guilty to distributing child pornography
Billy Joe Moreno, 43, of Corpus Christi, faces a minimum of five and up to 20 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.


12/18/2015

NEW YORK, NY



NARCOTICS


Cartel leader extradited from Mexico to face international cocaine trafficking charges
Mexican authorities arrested Tirso Martinez-Sanchez, 51, of Mexico, on Feb. 2, 2014, based on a federal arrest warrant.


12/18/2015

DALLAS, TX



CHILD EXPLOITATION


Dallas man sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for transporting child pornography
Rex Sistos, 38, from Dallas was sentenced Dec. 18 by U.S. District Judge Sidney A. Fitzwater to 240 months in federal prison.


12/17/2015

WASHINGTON, DC



STUDENT AND EXCHANGE VISITOR PROGRAM


SEVP releases quarterly international student data
The report, released Thursday by SEVP, highlights November 2015 data from the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), a Web-based system that includes information about international students, exchange visitors and their dependents while they are in the United States.



12/17/2015

HARRISBURG, PA



ENFORCEMENT AND REMOVAL


Mexican national charged with alien smuggling
According to the indictment, Esau Garcia-Patino, a 23-year-old Mexican national, was stopped by the Pennsylvania State Police Oct. 20 in Cumberland County and found to be aiding and transporting the three individuals who unlawfully entered and remained in the United States. Garcia-Patino remains in custody.


12/17/2015

HARRISBURG, PA



ENFORCEMENT AND REMOVAL


4 men charged with illegally reentering US after deportation
Luis Martinez-Gomez, 29, Alexis Alvarado-Diaz, 20, Santos Aguilar-De Leon, 30, and Manuel Valadez-Mirales, 46, all natives and citizens of Mexico, were indicted separately by a federal grand jury in Harrisburg on illegal re-entry charges.


12/17/2015

SAN ANTONIO, TX



ENFORCEMENT AND REMOVAL


ICE San Antonio officers remove twice-deported Mexican man who is facing homicide charges
Roman Tepozotlan-Mendoza, 50, was turned over to Mexican authorities Dec. 17 at the Lincoln Juarez Bridge in Laredo.


12/17/2015

KANSAS CITY, MO



INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS


6 defendants plead guilty in Missouri to $100 million software-piracy scheme
Rex Yang, 37, of Seattle, waived his right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief District Judge Greg Kays Dec. 16 to a federal information that charged him with participating in a criminal conspiracy from Jan. 1, 2009 to Dec. 10, 2014.



12/16/2015

COLUMBUS, OH



CONTRABAND


ICE HSI Bulk Cash Smuggling Task Force seizes $1.6 million in 2015
Since 2012, the task force has seized more than $8,924,272.60 in illicit proceeds from criminal organizations. In addition to the 2015 cash seizures, 136 were arrested and 27 firearms were seized. Seized contraband included: 58,901 grams of cocaine, 11, 479 grams of heroin, 429 pounds of marijuana and 243 units of illegal prescription pills.


12/16/2015

LOS ANGELES, CA



CULTURAL PROPERTY, ART AND ANTIQUITIES INVESTIGATIONS


Los Angeles art dealer sentenced for smuggling stolen antiquities and overseeing charitable deduction tax scam
Jonathan M. Markell, 70, the owner of Silk Roads Design Gallery (which previously was located on North La Brea Avenue and now operates in the Jefferson Park district of Los Angeles), was sentenced Monday afternoon by U.S. District Judge Dean D. Pregerson, who called Markell's crimes "significant."


12/16/2015

FORT WORTH, TX



CONTRABAND


3 Fort Worth-area residents sentenced to lengthy federal prison sentences for their roles in a methamphetamine distribution conspiracy
Michael Bentley, 34, Jessica Judge, 35, and Billy Bullitt, 45, were sentenced on Monday to 200 months, 180 months, and 121 months, respectively, in federal prison. Each pleaded guilty this past summer to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of methamphetamine.


12/16/2015

FORT WORTH, TX



CONTRABAND


Fort Worth woman sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for using her home to conduct methamphetamine transactions
According to the factual resume filed in this case, since about 2014, Shanda Brite, 28, has allowed others, including two co-defendants, to conduct methamphetamine transactions at her house on Seal Cove in Fort Worth. In exchange, Brite received methamphetamine.



12/16/2015

TAMPA, FL



FIREARMS, AMMUNITION & EXPLOSIVES


Texas man sentenced to prison for smuggling weapons
According to court documents, Eyad Farah, 42, of Barrington, Texas, was part of a network of individuals involved in smuggling firearms from the United States to the Middle East. The firearms were concealed in vehicles that had been purchased at used car auctions in central Florida.


12/16/2015

SAN JUAN, <acronym title="Google Page Ranking">PR</acronym>



CHILD EXPLOITATION


ICE arrests 2 Manati-area men for production, possession of child pornography
Noel Aquino-Florenciani, 37, and Luis Angel Rivera-Reyes, 20, both of Manati, were arrested without incident at their places of residence for their alleged possession and production of child pornography.


12/16/2015

DENVER, CO



CHILD EXPLOITATION


Denver man sentenced to more than 24 years in federal prison for producing child pornography
Minh Thong, 32, of Denver, was first charged by Criminal Complaint Jan. 20, 2014. He was then indicted by a federal grand jury Jan. 27, 2014. He pleaded guilty before Judge Robert E. Blackburn Aug. 14, 2015.


12/16/2015

SCRANTON, PA



CONTRABAND


Pennsylvania man indicted for drug trafficking, firearms offenses
The indictment charges Donald C. Fritz, Jr., 43, with distribution of and possession with intent to distribute crystal methamphetamine.



12/16/2015

SCRANTON, PA



CONTRABAND


Pennsylvania man charged with distributing bath salts, firearms violations
A grand jury in Scranton indicted Wyatt Robert Yanney, 24, for allegedly ordering and obtaining shipments of the synthetic misbranded drugs, commonly referred to as “bath salts” by mail from China in August 2015 for use and distribution in Bradford County, Pennsylvania, and in New York.


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F.B.I. Breaking News
12.18.15
New York: Man charged in securities fraud scheme that cost investors $14 million.
12.18.15
Boston: Chinese national guilty of supplying Iran with materials for weapons.
12.18.15
Washington: State Department employee charged in $2 million contract conspiracy.

D.E.A. TOP STORY
​
Thirty-Four Facing Federal and Tribal Charges Arising Out of Meth Trafficking
DEC 14 (LAS CRUCES, N.M.)

Thirty-four individuals are facing federal and tribal drug charges as the result of an 18-month multi-agency investigation spearheaded by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) into methamphetamine trafficking on the Mescalero Apache Reservation. Eighteen defendants, including five members of the Mescalero Apache Tribe and 13 non-Natives are charged in six indictments and a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico in Nov. and Dec. 2015. Sixteen other members of the Mescalero Apache Tribe are charged in tribal criminal complaints approved by the Mescalero Apache Tribal Court.

READ MORE MORE TOP STORIES


D.E.A. LATEST NEWS

DEC 18 (McALLEN, Texas) Two Men Head to Prison for Participating in a Cocaine Conspiracy DEC 17 (FRESNO, Calif.) Six Indicted for Conspiracy to Distribute Meth DEC 17 (SACRAMENTO, Calif.) Former Deputy U.S. Marshal Pleads Guilty to Armed Robbery DEC 17 (PORTLAND, Maine) Man Convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute Oxycodone and Oxymorphone DEC 17 (MARQUETTE, Mich.) Western U.P. Crystal Meth Conspiracy Shut Down

MORE NEWS

A.T.F. Press Releases

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2015

Detroit Resident Indicted for Planting Manufactured Explosive Devices In Yard To Protect Marijuana Grow Operation
Detroit Field Division


Connecticut Man Sentenced to 13 Years for Crack Conspiracy and Distribution
Boston Field Division


Aurora Gangster Found Guilty of Being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm
Denver Field Division


Baltimore Man Indicted for Insurance Fraud Scheme Involving Arson and for His Efforts to Cover Up the Scheme, Including Attempted Witness Tampering
Baltimore Field Division


Madison Police Officer Charged with Federal Public Corruption Crime
St. Paul Field Division


THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2015

Stamford Man Charged With Orchestrating Murder for Hire Scheme
Boston Field Division


Three Conspirators in Baltimore Heroin Distribution Organization Sentenced to Prison
Baltimore Field Division


Modesto Man Indicted for Being A Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition
San Francisco Field Division


WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2015

Court of Appeals Affirms Conviction in Gun Case that Led to the Death of a Police Officer and Firefighter
New York Field Division


Texas Man Who Smuggled Weapons to the Middle East Sentenced to Prison
Tampa Field Division


Waldorf Man Pleads Guilty to Stealing Guns from a Federally Licensed Firearms Dealer and Setting the Store on Fire
Baltimore Field Division


Anderson Man Found Guilty of Filing Fraudulent Tax Forms
Columbus Field Division


Five From Fresno Sentenced for Firearms Charges
San Francisco Field Division


Armed Career Criminal From Albuquerque Sentenced to Fifteen Years for Unlawful Possession of Firearm
Phoenix Field Division


Grand Jury Returns Indictments
St. Paul Field Division


TUESDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2015

Leaders of $28.5 Million Drug Conspiracy Sentenced to 13+ Years in Federal Prison
Kansas City Field Division


Post Falls Man Pleads Guilty to Murder for Hire and Drug Charges
Seattle Field Division


Cheko's Crew/7th Stree Gang Member and Associate Plead Guilty to RICO Conspiracy; Drug Supplier Pleads Guilty to Drug Conspiracy
New York Field Division


Rockford Man Pleadsd Guilty to Illegally Possessing a Firearm
Chicago Field Division


Perry Housing Project Ringleader Pleads Guilty to Drug, Money Laundering and Firearm Charges
New York Field Division


MONDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2015

Man Arrested in Penn-North One Week After Baltimore Riots Sentenced to 42 Months in Prison for Federal Gun Charge
Baltimore Field Division


Indictment Charges Alleged Leader of Straw Purchasing Scheme
Philadelphia Field Division


Cheko's Crew/7th Street Gang Members Plead Guilty to RICO, Admit Roles in Two Murders
New York Field Division

Headlines (News coverage of the U.S. Marshals)

	Florida man on lam 37 years faces sentencing
	The day Redskins helped bust fugitives
	Ventura double shooting suspect arrested at bar in Rosarito, Mexico

JUSTICE NEWS



Ohio Cardiologist Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Overbilling Medicare and Others of $5.7 Million for Unnecessary Procedures
Friday, December 18, 2015




Illinois Woman Convicted for Kidnapping and Transportation of a Minor with Intent to Engage in Sexual Activity
Friday, December 18, 2015




Statement by Deputy Attorney General Sally Quillian Yates on the President's Clemency Decisions
Friday, December 18, 2015


MORE NEWS

News from CBP

December 18, 2015 | Local Media Release
Border Patrol Agents Arrest Seven Circumventing Checkpoint

December 18, 2015 | Local Media Release
CBP Seizes $16K in Unreported Currency from Virginia Woman at Washington Dulles International Airport

December 18, 2015 | Local Media Release
CBP Field Operations Detects Child Smuggling Case at the Anzalduas International Bridge


More News

C.B.P. Media Releases


Nogales CBP Officers Seize $1.7M in Drugs


Friday, December 18, 2015 | Local Media Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers arrested seven people for their separate alleged attempts to smuggle a combined 1,936 pounds of marijuana, heroin and methamphetamine through the Port of Nogales earlier this week. Officers...
Read More

CBP Field Operations Detects Child Smuggling Case at the Anzalduas International Bridge
Friday, December 18, 2015 | Local Media Release
ANZALDUAS, Texas—U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations (OFO) at the Anzalduas International Bridge arrested a 20-year-old woman from Mission, Texas after a failed child smuggling attempt involving a three-year-old child was...
Read More

CBP Seizes $16K in Unreported Currency from Virginia Woman at Washington Dulles International Airport
Friday, December 18, 2015 | Local Media ReleaseSTERLING, Va. — U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Office of Field Operations (OFO), at Washington Dulles International Airport seized $16,951 on Thursday from a Virginia woman for violating federal currency reporting regulations. There is no...
Read More

Border Patrol Agents Arrest Seven Circumventing Checkpoint
Friday, December 18, 2015 | Local Media ReleaseYUMA, Ariz. – Border Patrol agents arrested Jenri Bludimir Cartajena, an 18-year-old male U.S. citizen from Chattahoochie, Florida, for attempting to smuggle six illegal aliens around Wellton Station’s checkpoint on Interstate 8, east of Yuma, on...
Read More

Area Port of Blaine Holiday Travel Advisory
Thursday, December 17, 2015 | Local Media ReleaseBLAINE, Wash. — U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Office of Field Operations, is reminding travelers planning trips across the border this holiday season into the United States to make sure they have their proper documents and to plan ahead...
Read More

Border Patrol Arrests 11, Seizes More Than Half Ton of Marijuana
Thursday, December 17, 2015 | Local Media ReleaseBorder Patrol agents from Yuma Sector's Camp Grip seized more than 1,000 pounds of marijuana YUMA, Ariz. – Border Patrol agents arrested eleven illegal aliens and seized 1,017 pounds of marijuana. The group was attempting to smuggle the marijuana...
Read More

Border Patrol Agent Assaulted-Meth, Marijuana, & Handgun Seized
Thursday, December 17, 2015 | Local Media ReleaseTUCSON, Ariz. – A U.S. Border Patrol agent in the Tucson Sector was assaulted Tuesday during a drug seizure involving six smugglers with 300 pounds of marijuana. Since Monday, agents thwarted smuggling operations involving narcotics, illegal...
Read More

Border Patrol Arrests Sex Offender
Thursday, December 17, 2015 | Local Media ReleaseYUMA, Ariz. –Border Patrol agents arrested a Honduran national who was later determined to be a convicted sex offender and was previously deported four times. Osman Antonio Caseres-Munoz, 37, was encountered after he illegally entered the United...
Read More

CBP Air and Marine Operations Key Largo Marine Unit Rescues Toddlers and Thwarts Maritime Smuggling Attempt
Thursday, December 17, 2015 | Local Media ReleaseMIAMI - U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Air and Marine Operations (AMO) personnel from the Key Largo Marine Unit interdicted an overload vessel with 12 migrants, including two toddlers, off the coast on Wednesday. CBP Air and Marine...
Read More

CBP offers travel tips for upcoming holiday travel period
Thursday, December 17, 2015 | Local Media ReleaseEL PASO, Texas -- U.S. Customs and Border Protection is reminding international travelers planning to cross the border for the upcoming Christmas holiday and New Year’s season of several important things they can do to ensure a smooth and efficient...
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CBP Officers Bust Up Cocaine Smuggling Attempt at El Paso Port of Entry
Thursday, December 17, 2015 | Local Media ReleaseEL PASO, Texas – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers working at the El Paso port of entry alertly made a 15-pound cocaine seizure yesterday, valued at approximately $480,000. “Smuggling organizations will use every method imaginable to get...
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Brownsville CBP Officers Seize Over $690,481 in Methamphetamine at Gateway International Bridge
Wednesday, December 16, 2015 | Local Media ReleaseBROWNSVILLE, Texas – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Gateway International Bridge intercepted a load of alleged methamphetamine. CBP officers discovered the alleged narcotics, valued at approximately $690,481, hidden within a...
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U.S. Border Patrol Agent Arrests Wanted Sex Offender in Vermont
Wednesday, December 16, 2015 | Local Media ReleaseDerby, Vt.— Today, Dec. 16, U.S. Border Patrol agents from Newport, Vt., arrested Robert K. Lavalley, 48, on an outstanding extraditable felony warrant issued for failure to comply with sexual offender guidelines. The U.S. citizen was turned over to...
Read More

Signcutting and Technology Pays off for NM Agents
Wednesday, December 16, 2015 | Local Media ReleaseLORDSBURG, New Mexico – Tracking at night is an age-old skill passed along to each new generation of Border Patrol agents, and it’s still paying big dividends. Agents faced that challenge south of Lordsburg overnight, and interrupted yet another...
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CBP Captures Giant African Snails At Oakland Seaport
Wednesday, December 16, 2015 | Local Media ReleaseSAN FRANCISCO — U. S. Customs and Border Protection Agriculture Specialists working at the Port of Oakland discovered two live Giant African Snails along with a pile of dead snail eggs in early December while examining a cargo shipment of wooden...
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection Announces Expansion of Apparel, Footwear, and Textiles Center
Wednesday, December 16, 2015 | National Media ReleaseWASHINGTON —U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced another milestone today toward fulfilling the agency’s initiative to enhance industry-specific collaboration. The debut of the Apparel, Footwear and Textiles (AFT) Center of Excellence...
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CBP Issues Reminder to Report Currency
Wednesday, December 16, 2015 | National Media ReleaseNASSAU, Bahamas — U.S. Customs and Border Protection has seen a recent spike among Caribbean travelers who are not reporting the required currency amount to CBP officers at ports of entry upon entering or departing the United States. Individuals are...
Read More

CBP arrests man wanted in Houston
Wednesday, December 16, 2015 | Local Media ReleaseSAN JUAN, Puerto Rico –U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Field Operations officers arrested yesterday a man wanted in Houston for a probation violation. Federal law authorizes CBP officers to inspect flights departing from US territories....
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Meth and Marijuana Confiscated by United States Border Patrol
Tuesday, December 15, 2015 | Local Media ReleaseLAS CRUCES, New Mexico –Border Patrol Agents in New Mexico were busy intercepting law violators the second weekend in December, including an arrest of one subject trying to smuggle drugs through a traffic checkpoint. It began when an SUV pulled into...
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Naco CBP Officers Seize $38K in Marijuana
Tuesday, December 15, 2015 | Local Media ReleaseThe undercarriage of a smuggling vehicle was found to contain packages of marijuana TUCSON, Ariz. – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers arrested a 65-year-old Mexican man Friday (Dec.11) for an alleged attempt to smuggle nearly 77 pounds...
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Douglas CBP Officers Seize $163K in Marijuana
Tuesday, December 15, 2015 | Local Media ReleaseDrug smugglers attempted to conceal packages of marijuana from CBP officers at the Port of Douglas, including those found under the front hood as well as the front fender, cowling, both front seats, back seats, floor dash, side doors and below the...
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Border Patrol Agents Arrest Seven Circumventing Checkpoint
Tuesday, December 15, 2015 | Local Media ReleaseYUMA, Ariz.–Border Patrol agents continue their vigilance during this Holiday season, arresting one male United States citizen and six illegal aliens, Dec. 14. The driver was attempting to smuggle the illegal aliens around Wellton Station’s...
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CBP Marks 10 Year Anniversary of the Ysleta SENTRI Lane
Tuesday, December 15, 2015 | Local Media ReleaseEL PASO, Texas -- U.S. Customs and Border Protection is recognizing the 10 year anniversary of the opening of the Ysleta Secure Electronic Network for Traveler Rapid Inspection lanes. The Ysleta SENTRI lane opened December 15, 2005. “The Ysleta...
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Agents Arrest Man with Meth near I-5 Checkpoint
Monday, December 14, 2015 | Local Media ReleaseSAN CLEMENTE, Calif.—San Diego Sector Border Patrol agents arrested a 35-year-old man on Friday morning who had bundles of methamphetamine stashed inside the trunk of his car. At approximately 9 a.m., agents initiated a vehicle stop on a 2008...
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Dulles CBP Finds More Than 9 Pounds of Heroin in Guatemalan Courier Parcels
Monday, December 14, 2015 | Local Media ReleaseSTERLING, Va., – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Office of Field Operations (OFO) at Washington Dulles International Airport seized more than nine pounds of heroin from a Guatemalan man Friday that was concealed inside plastic bags labeled...
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