News Releases and Statements

Osiel Cardenas-Salinas Jr., 31, from Brownsville, was sentenced March 23 by U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. The judge sentenced Cardenas-Salinas to 100 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release and ordered him to pay a $20,000 fine.

Officials identified the noncitizens as having been convicted of crimes such as domestic violence, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, burglary, unlawful possession or use of a firearm, drug distribution or trafficking, or driving under the influence, or as those who were released from incarceration on parole or placed on community probation under supervision.

Authorities arrested Ricardo Julyan Kross Rios, a 21-year-old Corpus Christi resident, March 23 at his residence in Corpus Christi for delivery of fentanyl resulting in death and possession of fentanyl with the intent to distribute.

Deportation officers with ERO Boston removed Francisco Lopez-Lopez, a 50-year-old unlawfully present Mexican national and foreign fugitive wanted for kidnapping in Mexico on March 22.

Jean Morose Viliena, 50, was indicted March 23 for illegally obtaining a permanent resident card, commonly referred to as a green card, by means of a false statement — specifically that he had not ordered, carried out or materially assisted in extrajudicial and political killings and other acts of violence against the Haitian people.

Ofelia Hernandez-Salas, 60, and co-conspirator Raul Saucedo-Huipio, 48, were arrested in Mexico at the request of the United States pursuant to charges previously filed in the District of Arizona and unsealed last week.

Ofelia Hernandez-Salas, 60, and co-conspirator Raul Saucedo-Huipio, 48, were arrested in Mexico at the request of the United States pursuant to charges previously filed in the District of Arizona and unsealed last week. Hernandez-Salas and Saucedo-Huipio allegedly conspired with other smugglers to facilitate the travel of large numbers of migrants from and through Bangladesh, Yemen, Pakistan, Eritrea, India, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Russia, Egypt, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala and Mexico into the United States.

Special agents seized 10,617 doses of counterfeit pharmaceuticals and prescription drugs, all controlled substances in the United States, used to treat conditions from cough and cold symptoms to cancer.

The enforcement effort was implemented to address removable noncitizens identified as having been convicted of attempted murder, murder-second degree, domestic violence, rape by force, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, burglary, unlawful possession or use of a firearm, drug distribution or trafficking, or driving under the influence who had been released from incarceration on parole or placed on probation into communities under local, state or federal supervision prior to the ICE enforcement action.

Hugo Benjamin Tijerina, 36, of Pharr, pleaded guilty in federal court March 21 after admitting he received videos and images containing child sexual abuse material on his laptop.

ICE's ERO Philadelphia apprehended 21 removable noncitizens identified as having been convicted of felony rape, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, unlawful possession or use of a firearm, drug distribution or trafficking, or driving under the influence who had been released from incarceration on parole or placed on probation into communities under supervision during a nation-wide enforcement effort between March 4 and March 13.

Since its launch on March 13, 2023, Operation Blue Lotus has led to 18 seizures, 16 federal arrests and two state arrests. Those seizures prevented over 900 pounds of fentanyl, over 700 pounds of methamphetamines and over 100 pounds of cocaine from entering the United States through March 19.

Israel Flores Jr., 21, of Los Fresnos, appeared before a federal judge and admitted to possessing child sexual abuse material on a flash drive he obtained while he was a student at the University of Texas.

Elias Herrera, 31; Liz Jomayra Diaz-Colon, 23; and Jonathan Guemez, 30, previously pleaded guilty and admitted they had conspired together to import the drugs into the United States. All three people are from Nashville, Tennessee.

On March 20, Jose Jesus Hernandez-Valle, 54, pleaded guilty to smuggling various calibers of firearms into Mexico.  

A federal judge sentenced Moises Moreno, 38, of Moreno Valley, to 200 months in prison March 20 for importing more than 36 kilograms of fentanyl from Mexico into the United States.

ICE ERO Newark apprehended two removable noncitizens, one having been convicted of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, and the other convicted of felony endangering the welfare of a child (sexual conduct) during a nationwide enforcement effort from March 4 to March 13.

A federal judge sentenced Ramiro Helibuerto Cuenca-Campos, 27, of Cuenca Provincia, Azuay, Ecuador to 84 months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release.

Officers with ICE's ERO San Francisco apprehended eight removable noncitizens identified as having been convicted of attempted murder, murder second degree, domestic violence, rape by force, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, burglary, unlawful possession or use of a firearm, or drug distribution or trafficking who had been released from incarceration on parole or placed on probation into communities under supervision during a nation-wide enforcement effort from March 4 to March 13. 

This operation was implemented to address removable noncitizens identified as having been convicted of attempted murder, murder-second degree, domestic violence, rape by force, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, burglary, unlawful possession or use of a firearm, drug distribution or trafficking, or driving under the influence who had been released from incarceration on parole or placed on probation into communities under supervision.

Officers with ICE's ERO Salt Lake City apprehended 13 removable noncitizens identified as having been convicted of assault, arson, burglary, battery, felony lewdness, felony sexual coercion, conspiracy to commit a crime and cruelty to animals during a nationwide enforcement effort from March 4 to March 13.

Officers with ICE's ERO Denver apprehended four removable noncitizens identified as having been convicted of driving under the influence who had been released from incarceration on parole or placed on probation into communities under supervision during a nationwide enforcement effort from March 4 to March 13.

Officers with the ICE ERO Seattle office apprehended three removable noncitizens identified as having been convicted of domestic violence, sexual abuse, or driving under the influence, who had been released from incarceration on parole or placed on probation into communities under supervision during a nationwide enforcement effort from March 4 through March 13.

Officers with ICE's ERO apprehended 25 criminal noncitizens during a nationwide enforcement effort between March 4 and March 13.

Officials identified the noncitizens as having been convicted of crimes such as domestic violence, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, burglary, unlawful possession or use of a firearm, drug distribution or trafficking, or driving under the influence; or as those who were released from incarceration on parole or placed on community probation under supervision.