ICE News

HSI San Diego, multiagency case results in 15-year sentence of man for organizing smuggling event that resulted in 13 deaths

As detailed in pleadings filed prior to the sentencing hearing, Jose Cruz Noguez,49, of Mexicali, Mexico was a coordinator of the event in which two SUVs – a GMC Yukon and a Ford Expedition – were modified by removing the seats in the passenger compartments so that undocumented migrants literally could be stacked on top of one another. 

HSI Washington, D.C. investigation results in seizure of Iranian weapons destined for Yemen

Between May 2021 and January 2023, the U.S. Navy seized the weapons, which included more than 9,000 rifles, 284 machine guns, approximately 194 rocket launchers, more than 70 anti-tank guided missiles, and more than 700,000 rounds of ammunition, during routine maritime security operations conducted in and around the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. The seizures were made as the vessels were in transit fr

Child predator sentenced to more than 22 years for sexually exploiting minor relative following HSI Galveston, local partner investigation

Luke Allen Gregory, a 55-year-old resident of Hitchcock, Texas, was sentenced in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas to serve 270, 120, and 120 months for the production, possession and receipt of child pornography, respectively, as well as another 120 months for the transfer of obscene material to a minor.

Secretary Mayorkas delivers updates on DHS campaign to stop fentanyl through interdiction, supply chain disruption

Following the success of Operations Blue Lotus and Four Horsemen, which stopped nearly 10,000 pounds of fentanyl and led to 284 arrests during a two-month period earlier this year, the next phase of DHS’s campaign to target and disrupt the fentanyl supply chain has stopped over 5,000 pounds of precursor chemicals used in the production of fentanyl in its first few weeks.

HSI Corpus Christi, CBP investigation results in 12-year prison sentence for drug trafficker

Ascencion Garza Jr., a 64-year-old resident of Hebbronville, Texas, was sentenced in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas to 12 years in federal prison to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release for possession with intent to distribute approximately 16 kilograms of cocaine. Garza pleaded guilty to the charges on January 10.

HSI Nogales, partner agencies disrupt transnational drug trafficking organization

After extensive bilateral cooperation between the United States and Mexico, Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office, Fiscalía General de la República, conducted a significant enforcement operation on June 23 to dismantle a prolific transnational drug trafficking organization operating in Nogales, Sonora, along the U.S.–Mexico border. The operation resulted in the arrest of five people and the seizure of 120,000 fentanyl pills, 15 pounds of methamphetamine, 17 pounds of heroin, 15 pounds of cocaine, 3 assault rifles, one 9mm handgun, and a vehicle.

HSI San Diego, multiagency case results in Customs and Border Protection officer indicted for receiving bribes

Leonard Darnell George is charged along with Mario Angel Gutierrez, Esteban Galvan and four other unnamed defendants with conspiracy to import and conspiracy to distribute controlled substances in the Southern District of California and elsewhere. According to the indictment and other public records, the defendants allegedly coordinated the smuggling of methamphetamine, fentanyl, cocaine, and heroin from Mexico with an ultimate destination of the United States.

ERO St. Paul removes foreign fugitive wanted in Mexico for robbery

ERO officers escorted Saul Ceniceros Santoyo, 27, from Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport to Laredo International Airport in Laredo, Texas, on July 11. Ceniceros was then transported to the Laredo, Texas, port of entry where he was removed from the United States and transferred to Mexican authorities on July 12.

HSI Galveston, DEA Houston investigation lands Mexican national in prison for role in multi-state drug trafficking conspiracy

Juan Gonzalez-Cardebas, a 56-year-old Mexican national who is lawfully in the United States, was sentenced in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute five or more kilograms of cocaine and one or more kilograms of heroin, as well as possession with intent to distribute 18 kilograms of cocaine. Gonzalez was convicted of the charges in August 2022.

Nebraska man convicted for possession of firearms following HSI, law enforcement partner investigation

Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Kansas City Taekuk Cho and Acting United States Attorney Susan T. Lehr announced that Senior United States District Court Judge John M. Gerrard has sentenced Donald Greuter, Jr., 57, of Upland, Nebraska on June 29 to a term of 114 months’ imprisonment following his conviction for being a felon in possession of firearms.

HSI San Juan warns of financial scams among seniors

Older Americans lose a staggering $2.9 million a year to a growing variety of financial scams. Baby boomers represent the largest and most affluent generation, and one in five victims of reported fraud are between 60 and 69 years old.

ERO Miami arrests 18 noncitizens in local operation

Officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Miami’s Stuart suboffice and officials with U.S. Border Patrol arrested 18 unlawfully present individuals during the final week of June in an enforcement action targeting individuals who pose a threat to public safety.

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