Texas law enforcement officials have arrested seven suspects in connection with a human smuggling ring after discovering a stash house containing 26 migrants, including 12 who were taken to the hospital for treatment.
SAN ANTONIO, Texas - Texas officials have arrested seven suspects in connection with a human smuggling ring after discovering a stash house containing 26 migrants, including 12 who were taken to the hospital for treatment.
The Bexar County Sheriff's Office and other agencies broke up the operation on Thursday, after receiving a tip that a human smuggling operation was taking place involving several dozen people.
After receiving the tip, the sheriff’s office and multiple other law enforcement agencies followed a trailer to a home that Sheriff Javier Salazar called an open-air shack with windows open in triple digit temperatures, no air conditioning, no running water, and buckets for toilets.
Investigators said they also discovered multiple bulletproof vests and long rifles behind the residence. Salazar told reporters he was not sure if any of the rifles were automatic or semi-automatic, adding the guns and vests were "natural" things to find in a smuggling operation like the one his team broke up. He also said the operation was "clearly cartel related."
The suspects were identified as 39-year-old Abeldaro Herrera, 26-year-old Rafael Mendoza, 28-year-old Cristobal Eduardo Deleon, 21-year-old Jose Marvin Hernandez, 23-year-old Mario Enrique Elizondo, 30-year-old Vanessa Castillo, and 45-year-old Ismael Hernandez.
Herrera, Mendoza and Deleon were all charged with 26 counts of human smuggling. The trio was also charged with engaging in organized criminal activity, alongside Elizondo, Castillo, and Hernandez. Hernandez was not charged with either crime, but instead faces a single charge of evading arrest.
The sheriff’s office said the 26 victims were safely secured and given medical care. Of the 26 victims, 12 were taken to University Hospital and treated for minor injuries and heat-related illnesses. One migrant remained in the hospital for further treatment of dehydration and cardiac-related issues.
The victims consisted of 20 men and six women, all between the ages of 18 and 54. They all came from Mexico, Honduras, Venezuela and Guatemala, officials said.
The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office seized several vehicles driven by the suspects that were on the property. U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) told Fox News Homeland Security Investigations is assisting the sheriff’s office with the investigation.
When asked whether the suspects were in the U.S. illegally, ICE declined to comment on the matter.
The operation comes amid a surge in illegal immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border. In May, U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported more than 239,000 encounters with migrants at the border, the highest monthly total in two decades.
The Biden administration has come under fire from both Democrats and Republicans for its handling of the border crisis. Democrats have criticized the administration for not doing enough to address the root causes of migration, while Republicans have accused the administration of not doing enough to secure the border.
The sheriff described the smuggling operation as "big money," saying a Guatemalan woman within the group told officials she paid $16,000 to be smuggled into the U.S. ".
The investigation is ongoing.
