Agents find body of smuggler killed by bandits

Aug. 15, 2008 10:28 AM

Associated Press

TUCSON- U.S. Border Patrol agents say they've found the body of a man believed to have been killed by bandits west of Green Valley while he was smuggling marijuana into the country.

Agency spokesman Rob Daniels says the agency began looking for the man's body after survivors of the attack reported it to the Mexican consulate in Tucson. Consul officials then alerted U.S. authorities.

Daniels says the consulate told authorities that the man was among as group of people carrying bundles of marijuana into the country when they were confronted by bandits early Monday.

Searchers using dogs found the body of a young man on Thursday. He had no identification.

Border Patrol Arrests Illegal Aliens in Fake Construction Vehicle

Friday, August 15, 2008

San Diego - Yesterday afternoon, Border Patrol agents in San Ysidro uncovered an alien smuggling scheme that involved a pickup truck replicated to appear to be from a major construction company.

The pickup truck was disguised as a vehicle from Kiewit Corporation, a company currently working on a large border construction project.

Upon spotting the truck on Dairy Mart Road at about noon, agents observed it as it arrived at a secluded spot along the border fence and parked for a brief period. A license plate check of the truck revealed that its registered owner was a San Diego resident, and not Kiewit Corporation.

As agents attempted to stop the suspect vehicle, it sped away on Dairy Mart Road. Agents then successfully deployed a controlled tire deflation device nearby the Interstate 5 onramp.

When the truck came to a stop, the driver, who was wearing a yellow hard hat and a reflective safety vest, fled on foot. An agent was able to apprehend the driver, who is now facing charges for alien smuggling.

Agents inspected the truck and found one illegal alien in the cab and 10 illegal aliens hidden in a false tool box in the bed of the truck.

This incident comes three days after agents prevented a drug smuggling attempt by the use of a false San Diego Gas & Electric vehicle and three weeks after agents discovered 49 illegal aliens in a water truck near Smuggler’s Gulch. In response to effective border security efforts, smugglers are resorting to more sophisticated and dangerous methods to smuggle humans, drugs and other contraband.

Border agent wounds man near Mexican border

Aug. 13, 2008 01:21 PM
Associated Press

SAN DIEGO - A U.S. Border Patrol agent shot and wounded a man throwing rocks at agents near the U.S.-Mexico border in the San Diego area, authorities said Wednesday.

Edgar Israel Ortega Chavez, 22, was hospitalized with a bullet wound in his right torso after Mexican authorities found him alongside the dry, concrete-lined Tijuana River basin, Tijuana police said.

San Diego police said the shooter was a 10-year Border Patrol veteran but did not release his name. The department is investigating the shooting.

A Border Patrol spokesman, Daryl Reed, said the agent fired his gun on U.S. soil Tuesday night after seeing the man wielding a softball-sized rock on Mexican soil. Border Patrol agents tried unsuccessfully to disperse the group who had crossed to the U.S. side by firing pepper balls and using tear gas.

There was no fence separating the agent from the group when he fired, Reed said. A yellow stripe on the bottom of the river basin marks the border in the area.

Tijuana police said about 10 people were threatening Border Patrol agents, according to reports it fielded. Tijuana authorities found a tear gas canister and fragments and two. 223-caliber bullet shells near Ortega's body.

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Mexico criticizes shooting at border

U.S. says agent fired after rocks thrown

By Debbi Baker, Kristina Davis and Sandra Dibble

UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITERS

August 14, 2008

SAN YSIDRO – The shooting of a Mexican man by a U.S. Border Patrol agent during a rock-throwing incident west of the San Ysidro border crossing drew a rebuke yesterday from the Mexican Consulate in San Diego and a demand that U.S. authorities conduct a “thorough investigation.”

“Any kind of shooting toward Mexican territory is rejected by the Mexican government,” Consul General Remedios Gómez Arnau said. “They should have waited for response of the Mexican authorities.”

Yea, right!

Mexican soldiers enter Arizona, hold agent briefly

By Arthur H. Rotstein

ASSOCIATED PRESS

11:44 a.m. August 6, 2008

TUCSON, Ariz. – Federal authorities say four Mexican soldiers crossed into Arizona and briefly held a U.S. Border Patrol agent at gunpoint before realizing where they were and returning to Mexico.

Border Patrol spokeswoman Dove Crawford says the incident early Sunday on the Tohono O'odham Indian Reservation, about 85 miles southwest of Tucson, was in an area likely fenced only with barbed wire.

She says the soldiers lowered their weapons after about four minutes when the agent convinced them who he was and where they were, then retreated into Mexico.

Crawford says there have been about 40 similar incursions along the entire border this fiscal year.

El Paso Border Patrol Agents Arrest Convicted Sex Offender

Friday, August 08, 2008

Fort Hancock Texas – Border Patrol agents of the El Paso sector Friday arrested a convicted sexual offender with an extensive criminal history, who had been previously ordered removed from the United States.

At approximately 7 a.m., agents assigned to the Fort Hancock Border Patrol Station, on routine patrol, noticed three suspicious subjects near the Fort Hancock High School. After questioning the subjects, it was determined they were in the United States illegally and were subsequently taken into custody and transported to the Fort Hancock Station for processing.

During processing, the Automated Integrated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS) revealed that one of the subjects was a previously deported felon. The subject, 39-year old Daniel Santos Amaya-Rodas, a citizen of El Salvador has several prior arrests and convictions for sexual crimes. Amaya-Rodas will be prosecuted for Illegal Re-entry and was booked into the El Paso County Detention Facility.

Border Patrol Foils 2 Drug Smuggling Attempts in Arizona

Tuesday, August 05, 2008

Tucson, Ariz. - Tucson, Ariz. Border Patrol agents seized more a ton of marijuana in two separate incidents in the southwest deserts of Arizona.

On Sunday night, Ajo Station agents patrolling State Route 85 near the Barry M. Goldwater Bombing Range noticed two vehicles traveling through the desert with their headlights off. Agents attempted to intercept the vehicles only to find the vehicles abandoned one mile southwest of the bombing range. Both vehicles contained a total of 51 bundles of marijuana. Registration checks showed that both vehicles had been reported stolen.

The marijuana was transported to the Ajo Border Patrol station for further processing and will be turned over to Drug Enforcement Administration. The 51 bundles weighted 1,241 pounds with a street value of $992,800. The vehicles will be turned over to Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office.

Early this morning, Border Patrol agents from the Casa Grande Station observed a suspicious silver Toyota Land Cruiser a mile north of the border near Serapo Ranch on the Tohono O’Odham Indian Reservation. As agents neared the vehicle the driver ran from the vehicle and fled into Mexico. Inside the vehicle, Agents discovered 51 bundles of marijuana. A registration check of the vehicle revealed that the vehicle had been reported stolen.

Agents Arrest Previously Removed Child Molester in California

Monday, August 04, 2008

Blythe, Calif. – Border Patrol agents assigned to the Yuma Sector’s Blythe Station arrested a subject with an outstanding warrant early Saturday morning near Blythe, Calif.

About 5:30 a.m., agents performing traffic observation duties on Interstate 10 conducted a traffic stop on a 1999 Chevrolet Cavalier. Upon interview, the driver of the vehicle admitted to being a Mexican citizen illegally present in the United States. The individual was arrested without incident and transported to Blythe Border Patrol Station.

Fingerprint checks conducted through the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Information System revealed the subject had an outstanding warrant originating from Boise, Idaho for failure to register as a sex offender.

The subject had a previous conviction of Lewd Conduct with a Minor, Child under 16 Years of Age and was sentenced to 100 days in jail and four years of probation. In addition, the subject was previously prosecuted and removed from the United States as a criminal alien.

Three illegal aliens arrested have a combined 69 arrests

August 7, 2008 - 5:47PM

BY JAMES GILBERT, SUN STAFF WRITER

Border Patrol agents in Yuma arrested three illegal aliens with extensive criminal histories and immigration violations in two separate incidents Wednesday.

At about 6 p.m., agents discovered a set of footprints leading away from the Colorado River near County 8th Street - "a high-traffic area," said Border Patrol spokesman Ben Vik.

Vik said agents tracked the prints for about two miles to a field where they found an illegal alien trying to evade them.

A fingerprint check identified him as Juan Francisco-Flores and revealed a criminal history originating in the late 1980s. Included were assault with a deadly weapon, inflicting injury upon spouse, driving under the influence and drug offenses. Francisco-Flores was also previously deported from the United States.

Later that same evening, a Yuma Sector camera operator helped agents in the arrest of two more criminal aliens who used the same crossing point to enter the U.S.

"They were trying to circumvent the north end of Yuma," Vik said. "The camera operator watched them enter the country illegally and guided agents to their location. It was a triumph of technology."

Silvio Arrellano-Estrada, a criminal alien with history beginning in the 1990s, was found to have three previous arrests for various forms of theft including shoplifting and vehicle theft, as well re-entry after deportation.

A records check identified the last subject as Sacramento Velasquez-Morales. His varied immigration and criminal history includes 60 arrests, using 47 aliases, spanning from the mid-1970s to present for multiple battery/assault charges, narcotics, theft and public drunkenness in various states such as California, Washington, Texas and Arizona.

Velasquez-Morales reportedly has multiple illegal entry offenses and has been formally removed from the U.S. eight times.

49 people found hiding in water truck

Border agent spots unlicensed tanker

By Tom Mallory

UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

July 26, 2008

SAN DIEGO – Forty-nine people being smuggled into the United States were found yesterday packed inside the metal tank of a water truck that a Border Patrol agent noticed near the notorious Smuggler's Gulch.

The truck was coming out of a construction area, its driver apparently trying to blend in, when the agent saw that it didn't have a license plate, said Border Patrol Agent Jason Rodgers.

Rodgers said the agent followed the truck from Monument Road and Hollister Road in an under-the-speed-limit pursuit that ended nearby with the arrest of the driver and a passenger and the discovery of the people crammed inside.

“For someone to actually stuff 49 people inside a tanker like this, even though these criminals are breaking the law anyway, shows a complete disregard for human life,” Rodgers said.

He said most of the 49 people agents found inside the truck's cylindrical water tank were in the first stage of dehydration. Three of the women were pregnant – one eight months, and the others three and five months.

Another woman inside the tank had a dislocated ankle, Rodgers said.

Border Patrol agent pelted by rocks near Douglas

The Associated Press

Published: 07.28.2008

DOUGLAS — A U.S. Border Patrol agent required medical treatment after he was pelted with rocks while trying to arrest five illegal immigrants near Douglas.

The Border Patrol says as the agent sustained a 5-inch cut on his head Sunday night when he was showered with rocks thrown over the fence along the U.S.-Mexico border.

The illegal immigrants he was trying to arrest, says the patrol, fled back into Mexico.

The agent was airlifted to a Tucson hospital, where he was treated and released.

The Border Patrol's Tucson Sector says there have been 201 assaults on its agents since Oct. 1, the start of the agency's budget year.

Border Patrol, DEA Make Large Marijuana Seizure

Monday, July 28, 2008

Alamogordo, N.M. – As a result of a cooperative effort by agents from the Alamogordo Border Patrol Station and the Drug Enforcement Administration, more than 380 pounds of marijuana was seized at a traffic checkpoint on U.S. Highway 54 over the weekend.

The incident unfolded when Border Patrol agents received information from DEA about a possible smuggling load that may be coming through the Highway 54 checkpoint over the weekend. The suspect vehicle was described as a late model Dodge pickup. At approximately 12:15 p.m., a 2006 Dodge Ram pulling a horse trailer pulled into the checkpoint.

The agent at the primary inspection area noticed the vehicle had no license plate. Upon further questioning, the agent became suspicious of the mannerisms being displayed by the driver, a 35-year-old U.S. Citizen from Oklahoma. Agents were given consent to look inside the trailer and tack room, as well as conduct a search with a Border Patrol canine. The canine inspection of the truck and trailer led agents to a hidden compartment located behind an aftermarket wall inside the horse trailer. Using a fiber optic scope to look inside the wall, agents then located a cardboard box concealed inside the compartment. Further inspection led to eight duffle bags and a box containing plastic wrapped bundles of marijuana. A total of 328 bundles were discovered with a total weight of 383.22 pounds.

Agents arrested the driver of the Dodge Ram and turned him over to the Drug Enforcement Administration along with the contraband.

Border Patrol Canine Alerts to $5.7 Million Worth of Dope in California

Calexico, Calif. – Border Patrol agents from the El Centro Station recovered several bundles of marijuana from a Budget rental truck parked in a lot near Calexico, Calif., early Saturday morning.

At approximately 2 a.m., Border Patrol agents received information from a concerned citizen that the truck was being used for illegal activity. Agents were granted permission to enter the premises. Shortly thereafter, a canine detection team alerted to a strong odor of marijuana emitting from the back of the vehicle. When agents opened the rear door, a large number of wrapped bundles were discovered in the cargo area which, later tested positive as marijuana.

A total of 309 bundles of marijuana were removed from the truck, totaling 7,160 pounds. The seized narcotics have an estimated value of over $5.7 million. An extensive search of the area was made, but no subjects were located in connection with the marijuana.

Border Patrol Agents Seize Significant Loads of Cocaine and Marijuana Cocaine Load Valued at $7.7 Million; Marijuana Weighing More than 1,500 Pounds

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Laredo, Texas – Border Patrol agents from the Laredo Sector made two significant drug seizures in the past 24 hours.

"These cases are the result of the agents’ deft application of resources, technology and experience to detect and stop illegal activity that threatens our nation," said Laredo Sector Border Patrol Chief Patrol Agent Carlos X. Carrillo.

The first case occurred on Tuesday night when agents from the Laredo North station working at the Interstate Highway 35 checkpoint north of Laredo intercepted a shipment of cocaine worth approximately $7.7 million.

The case unfolded when agents conducted an immigration inspection on the driver of a tractor trailer. During the inspection, a Border Patrol canine alerted toward the trailer, indicating the presence of hidden contraband or people. The vehicle was referred for secondary inspection and examined by the Vehicle and Cargo Inspection System which uses gamma rays to produce an image similar to an x-ray. The machine detected an anomaly in cargo being hauled in the trailer. Agents searched the trailer and found several duffel bags that contained a total of 70 cellophane-wrapped bundles.

The bundles contained 240.2 pounds of cocaine with an estimated value of $7.7 million. The drugs, the driver and the vehicle were turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Agents nab sex offender near border

BY JAMES GILBERT, SUN STAFF WRITER

Border Patrol agents assigned to the Yuma Sector Station arrested a convicted rapist early Monday afternoon near the Andrade port of entry.

Agent Ben Vik, Yuma Sector spokesman, said that at about 1:30 p.m., Border Patrol agents working west of the Andrade port observed a lone male individual walking approximately three miles from the U.S.-Mexico border.

Upon making contact with the subject, it was determined that he was in the United States illegally. The subject was arrested without incident and transported to Yuma Border Patrol Station.

"That area is particularly notorious for illegal entry," Vik saidf. "It's basically a short walk and a slightly longer swim to get into the country in that area."

Vik explained that the All American Canal is about 200 feet from the international border in that area.

A records check back at the Yuma station using the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Information System later revealed the subject had been arrested, charged and convicted of rape by force and sentenced to 18 years in prison.

He also had been arrested for theft and possession of a loaded firearm. In addition, the man has been previously removed from the United States for immigration violations four previous times.

Border camera spots marijuana suspects

July 22, 2008 - 12:14PM

FROM STAFF REPORTS

Surveillance cameras used along the Mexico border did their job for the U.S. Border Patrol on Tuesday morning, when the technology helped agents nab 93 pounds of marijuana and apprehend three illegal immigrants.

The two unrelated busts happened early Tuesday morning near the West Main and Salinity Canal bridges near San Luis, Ariz., according to a Border Patrol news statement.

Communications personnel operating a surveillance camera near the border saw two illegal immigrants crossing the Colorado River. Agents tried to stop the two people, who ultimately left their marijuana behind and absconded back across the border, according to the statement.

Camera operators then noticed three subjects crossing the border in the same area. Those people were apprehended shortly after they crossed into the U.S.

Border Patrol Agents Seize Cocaine, Methamphetamines and Marijuana

Busy weekend in Laredo Sector nets tons of narcotics
Monday, June 30, 2008

Laredo, Texas – Border Patrol agents from the Laredo North station made several significant drug seizures at an Arizona checkpoint during the past weekend.

The first case occurred on Friday, June 27, when agents working at the checkpoint conducted an immigration inspection of the lone occupant of a 2000 Toyota Camry. As the agents spoke to the driver, a Border Patrol canine alerted toward the rear of the car, indicating the possible presence of hidden people or contraband.

Agents searched the car and found a false compartment built into the bottom of the trunk. Inside the compartment, agents discovered 15 cellophane-wrapped packages. The packages contained 35 pounds of cocaine with an estimated value of more than $1.1 million. The drugs, the driver and the vehicle were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration.

The second case happened Saturday morning when agents at the checkpoint conducted an immigration inspection of the two occupants of a 1998 Buick Regal. A Border Patrol canine alerted toward the rear of the car, indicating the possible presence of hidden people or contraband.

Agents searched the car and found 23 cellophane-wrapped bundles hidden in the rear bumper. The bundles contained 55.6 pounds of crystal methamphetamine with an estimated value of $1,779,200. The drugs and the vehicle were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration. The subjects were processed for removal.

Agents working at the Arizona checkpoint made the third seizure on Saturday night. In that case, agents were conducting an immigration inspection on the driver of a tractor trailer when a Border Patrol canine alerted toward the trailer. The vehicle was referred for secondary inspection and examined by the Vehicle and Cargo Inspection System which uses gamma rays to produce an image similar to an x-ray. The machine detected an anomaly in some of the cargo crates being transported in the trailer.

Agents examined the crates and found 190 bundles wrapped with grey duct tape. The bundles contained a total of 3,198 pounds of marijuana with an estimated value of $2,558,400. The drugs, the driver and the vehicle were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Border Patrol Agents Seize 2,917 Pounds of Marijuana at Texas Checkpoint

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Laredo, Texas - Border Patrol agents from the Laredo North station seized 2,917 pounds of marijuana Wednesday night.

On June 25, agents manning the checkpoint located on Interstate 35 north of Laredo conducted an immigration inspection on the driver of a tractor trailer. While being inspected, a service canine alerted agents to the trailer, indicating the presence of people or contraband.

The vehicle was referred for secondary inspection and examined by the Vehicle and Cargo Inspection System which uses gamma rays to produce an image similar to an x-ray. The machine detected an anomaly inside the trailer.

Agents searched the trailer and found 25 cellophane wrapped bundles stacked among pallets of ceramic tiles. The bundles were determined to be marijuana with a total weight of 2,917.8 pounds and an estimated street value of $2,334,240.

Arrest of Notorious Tijuana Alien Smuggler Successful through Bi-National Enforcement Efforts

Border Patrol commends Mexican Government for significant apprehension
Monday, June 23, 2008

San Diego — Two-and-a-half years of cooperation, communication and intelligence sharing between the Border Patrol and Mexican law enforcement authorities led to the arrest of a well-known leader of a Tijuana alien smuggling organization earlier this month.

Jose Luis Naranjo-Ramirez, better known as “El Sorga,” was arrested and held in Tijuana by Mexican Federal law enforcement officials for organized crime and human trafficking charges on June 5.

Prior to the arrest, Naranjo was one of the most-wanted illegal alien smugglers on both sides of the border. He is the alleged leader of the highly-structured “Linea 13” smuggling organization, which operates primarily out of the Colonia Libertad area in Tijuana. “Linea 13” is notorious for using strong-arm smuggling tactics that have risked the lives of many illegal aliens since the early 1990s.

San Diego Sector Deputy Chief Patrol Agent Richard Barlow said, “This important arrest would not have taken place without exceptional bi-national cooperation and exchange of information. I would like to thank the Attorney General of Mexico and Mexican law enforcement authorities for their efforts to further alleviate all threats from entering our country.”

Since the beginning of fiscal year 2007 San Diego Sector Border Patrol agents have apprehended over 110,164 illegal aliens and seized more than 36,844 pounds of marijuana.

Ex-policewoman in Mexico reaches goal in Border Patrol

By ALICIA A. CALDWELL
Associated Press

for Blanca Angelica Parra, a police officer in Ciudad Juarez until the summer of 1995.

"In Juarez when you arrested someone they would threaten you, they were going to kill you and your family," Parra said of life as a police officer in the hardscrabble city across the Rio Grande from El Paso. "But normally that didn't happen."

Parra believed the violence between drug cartels and police would only worsen, so she quit her job and moved with her daughter to the United States.

She was right. In the intervening 13 years, police have become routine targets of drug traffickers and now Parra's back in a position to help them as a U.S. Border Patrol agent.

"I always wanted to be a law enforcement officer," Parra said. "When I came over here, I said 'one day I'm going to be a Border Patrol agent.'"

From the relative safety of the northern side of the border, Parra has heard of numerous police officers, include several former colleagues, being gunned down. Most recently, the No. 2 cop in the sprawling city was killed in a hail of bullets sprayed at his car outside his house.

"I'm glad that I'm here, in the Border Patrol," Parra said.

Border Patrol Agents Arrest Smuggler and Seize Marijuana

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Yuma, Ariz. – Rapid response and teamwork helped U.S. Customs and Border Protection Border Patrol agents assigned to the Yuma Station apprehend one individual and seize two backpacks containing 62 pounds of marijuana.

About 3:30 a.m., agents working near the San Luis, Ariz., area encountered three individuals, two of which were carrying large backpacks, running north from the international boundary fence. As agents responded to the area, the subjects dropped the backpacks and ran south towards the international boundary fence. Several agents responded to the area, and one agent was assaulted with rocks by other individuals perched atop the international fence. The agent was struck once on the shoulder, but was still able to arrest one of the individuals. The other two individuals fled into Mexico, and Mexican authorities were notified.

The arrested subject, who is a citizen of Mexico in possession of a valid Border Crosser Card, and marijuana were turned over to the San Luis Arizona Police department.

Since October 1, 2007 Yuma Sector Border Patrol agents have seized more than 25,000 pounds of marijuana.