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  4. RGV Agents Halt Dangerous Smuggling Attempts

RGV Agents Halt Dangerous Smuggling Attempts

Release Date
Mon, 01/10/2022

EDINBURG, Texas –Rio Grande Valley Sector Border Patrol (RGV) agents and local law enforcement partners work together to disrupt dangerous human smuggling efforts.

On Jan. 7, at approximately 6:00 p.m., Brownsville Border Patrol Station agents working near the River Bend subdivision in Brownsville, Texas, observed multiple subjects running towards an awaiting white Mitsubishi Galant near Highway 281. As agents responded, the driver fled the area at a high rate of speed. The driver failed to yield and ultimately came to a stop when he crashed into a tree at the corner of 18th Street and Madison Street. The driver exited the vehicle and fled on foot leaving the empty vehicle behind. After a brief foot chase near the intersection of Elizabeth Street and Central Boulevard, the driver was taken into Border Patrol custody. Simultaneously, agents at the originating location near the River Bend subdivision, apprehended the group of five migrants that attempted to enter the white Mitsubishi Galant. The driver was identified as a 20-year-old Mexican citizen with multiple arrests for human smuggling and prior removals from the United States.

In the evening of Jan. 9, Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) contacted the Weslaco Border Patrol Station regarding a 911 caller stating they were being held against their will at a Mercedes, Texas, residence. Nine subjects were encountered at the location, two of which were identified as the stash house caretakers. The two caretakers are citizens of Mexico. The migrants stated one of the caretakers threatened to hurt the group with a knife. HCSO placed one of the suspects under arrest and the other caretaker was taken into custody by Border Patrol agents. The remaining migrants are citizens of Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras.

On Jan. 8, at approximately 11:00 a.m., the Kingsville Border Patrol Station received an alert of a rescue beacon that had been activated by a migrant in distress lost in the vast ranchlands of Kenedy County. The Guatemalan national utilized a Border Patrol rescue beacon to send the coordinates of his location to law enforcement officials. Agents reached the 29-year-old migrant within the hour and transported him to the station for medical evaluation and processing. 

All subjects were processed accordingly.

The public is encouraged to take a stand against crime in their communities and report suspicious activity at 800-863-9382.

Please visit www.cbp.gov to view additional news releases and other information pertaining to Customs and Border Protection.  Follow us on Twitter @CBPRGV and @USBPChiefRGV.

~CBP~

Last Modified: Jan 10, 2022