News Releases and Statements

Houston residents James Michael Brewer aka ‘Creeper’, 33, Jonathan Alvarado aka ‘Joker’, 28, Alexis Delgado aka ‘Chino’, 28, Hector Luis Lopez aka ‘Capulito’, 23, Kylie Rae Alvarado, 24, Ruby Mata, 31, Victor Norris Ellison, 35, Mexi Dyan Garcia aka ‘Mexi’, 31, and Jesus Gomez-Rodriguez aka ‘Jr.’, 33, made their initial appearances in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas May 22 when the indictment was unsealed.

The Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned two high-ranking members of the Mexico-based Cartel del Noreste, formerly known as Los Zetas, May 21. CDN, one of Mexico’s most violent drug trafficking organizations and a U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, has significant influence over the border region, particularly near the Laredo/Nuevo Laredo entry point.

One of the suspected shooters, Venezuelan national Ricardo Granadillo Padilla, 25, was arrested on Feb. 8 by ICE Homeland Security Investigations Chicago and Raleigh, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Raleigh, U.S Border Patrol Tactical Unit, the U.S. Marshals Service, and CBP Air and Marine Operations in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Two members of the Tango Blast gang identified as Juan Miguel Regalado, 28, and Samuel Grajeda Jr., 21, were sentenced May 15 after being convicted of conspiracy to transport undocumented immigrants, following an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Border Patrol’s Laredo Sector and the Texas Department of Public Safety.

According to court documents, Maria Del Rosario Navarro-Sanchez, 39, of Mexico, conspired with others to provide and did attempt to provide grenades to CJNG, a designated foreign terrorist organization. Co-defendant Luis Carlos Davalos-Lopez, 27, of Mexico, is charged with conspiracy to smuggle illegal aliens into and transport aliens in the United States, straw purchasing and firearms trafficking. Co-defendant Gustavo Castro-Medina, 28, of Mexico, is charged with straw purchasing and firearms trafficking, conspiracy to possess a controlled substance with intent to distribute, and possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.

An indictment unsealed May 13 is the first in the nation to charge alleged leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel with narco-terrorism and material support of terrorism in connection with trafficking massive amounts of fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin into the United States.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested 38-year-old criminal alien Joel Armando Mejia-Benitez, a Salvadoran national, May 5 in Silver Spring. Mejia is a validated MS-13 gang member and is wanted in his home country for firearms offenses.

ICE, the FBI and the Texas Department of Public Safety arrested Jesus Alberto Escalona-Mujicas, a 47-year-old illegal alien from Venezuela and documented Tren de Aragua gang member, April 9, in Bryan, Texas.

Noe Gonzalez-Martinez, also known as Tocayo, 41, will serve the rest of his life plus 60 months in federal prison for his role in multiple convictions related to a murder-for-hire scheme that brought three sicarios, or hitmen, across the U.S. border into Laredo.

Among those arrested were members of violent international gangs, known for their involvement in drug trafficking, human smuggling, and violent crimes. Additionally, ICE took custody of convicted sex offenders who had unlawfully re-entered the United States, as well as individuals facing federal criminal charges for immigration and other violations.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Diplomatic Security Service, the U.S. Marshals Service, and several other state and local law enforcement agencies participated in the operation.

Guatemalan officials extradited Moises Humberto Rivera-Luna, also known as Santos and Viejo Santos, 55, from Guatemala to the United States, March 4.

ICE and the FBI apprehended an illegal Salvadoran alien charged in his home country with possession of firearm, extorsion and terrorist affiliation when officers arrested David Alejandro Orellana-Aleman, 27, in Hyattsville, Maryland, Feb. 27.

Luis Miguel Perez-Miranda, a 34-year-old Salvadoran national, was apprehended following a manhunt by authorities in Dayton, Texas, and was taken to the Liberty County Jail.

The charges are the result of a multijurisdictional investigation that began in the aftermath of four murders, and a series of attempted murders and shootings that took place in Lynn, Massachusetts in 2023, allegedly committed by the Trinitarios criminal enterprise.

ICE Denver officers arrested Ender Jose Roa Contreras, 29, a suspected TdA member and illegal alien who was found in possession of a firearm, Feb. 19. ICE is committed to removing public safety threats from our communities.

An ICE investigation with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation led to a four-count indictment which was unsealed in the Middle District of Tennessee charging eight defendants, with ties to the Tren da Aragua (TdA) gang, with various offenses stemming from their involvement with a transnational commercial sex enterprise.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested a Venezuelan citizen Feb. 11 wanted by Chilean authorities in connection with a kidnapping.

ICE arrested Ricardo Padillia-Granadillo, 24, an illegally present Venezuelan national, Feb. 8 in Raleigh.

ICE HSI Rio Grande Valley, in partnership with our law enforcement partners arrested a member of the Cartel del Golfo.

The 27-year-old male citizen and national of Venezuela was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon and is the suspected shooter in an attempted murder investigation in San Antonio.

Approximately 23 individuals suspected of being involved with a human trafficking network were arrested, and more than 80 human trafficking victims were rescued, including three minors.

The 42-year-old Mexican male was arrested on Feb. 6, 2025, for illegal re-entry after deportation. At the time of his arrest, authorities discovered that the individual was in possession of a fraudulent immigration card and narcotics for personal use.

The indictment alleges that the Hoodstar Gzz gang, which since its forming in 2010 has referred to itself by a variety of names, including “Hoodstars,” “Hoodstarz,” and “Gz,” generally operates between Capen, Westland, Enfield, and Main Streets in Hartford.

Anderson Zambrano-Pacheco, 26, of Venezuela, is charged with being a fugitive in possession of a firearm and ammunition, via a criminal complaint, with being a fugitive from justice in possession of a firearm. at the U.S. District Court for the District of Southern New York. Additionally, Zambrano-Pacheco was ordered to be detained.