HSI 'BEST' agents in El Paso arrest Mexican man for alien smuggling

EL PASO, Texas — A U.S. permanent resident from Mexico remains in federal custody following his arrest Tuesday by members of the Border Enforcement Security Task Force (BEST) on charges of alien smuggling that may extend over the last five years.

BEST is a task force led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Marco Antonio Yudico-Vega, 43, was arrested Feb. 24 by agents from U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Office of Border Patrol (OBP) who were investigating alien smuggling activity in the area. About noon, Yudico-Vega crossed legally into El Paso from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, and proceeded to a motel in the 4100 block of Alameda Avenue.

According to court documents, Yudico-Vega delivered food and money to two men, who had entered the United States illegally a few days before, and were staying at the Central El Paso motel. He also purchased bus tickets for them, and took pictures of each of the men that were to be used to create fraudulent documents. Yudico-Vega was to be paid $60 from the smuggler once he completed the task and returned to Ciudad Juarez.

Yudico-Vega is charged with alien smuggling. Court documents state that for the past five years he has assisted the Ciudad Juarez-based alien smuggler by looking after individuals illegally in the country. He provided food, money and bus tickets for transportation out of El Paso. Yudico-Vega made his initial appearance in federal court Wednesday, and was ordered detained without bond. His preliminary detention hearing is set for March 2.

BEST El Paso is composed of full-time members from the following agencies:  HSI, CBP’s Office of Field Operations (OFO) and OBP, and the Department of State (DOS).  BEST El Paso also works in conjunction with the following agencies: El Paso Police Department (EPPD); El Paso Sherriff’s Office (EPSO); Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS); Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF); the FBI; Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); Transportation Security Administration (TSA); Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC); and the Texas National Guard. BEST El Paso, through intelligence-driven initiatives, is responsible for identifying, investigating and eliminating vulnerabilities to one of the nation’s busiest border areas with Mexico and combating Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs).

To date, a total of 35 BESTs have been initiated across 16 states and in Puerto Rico. These teams comprise over 1,000 members who represent over 100 law enforcement agencies who have jointly committed to investigate transnational criminal activity along the Southwest and Northern Borders and at our nation's major seaports.