El Centro Sector Border Patrol Intercepts Drugs Thrown Over Border Fence

Calexico, Calif. – Today, U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to the Calexico station intercepted drugs concealed in tape wrapped packages near 1st Street and Blair Avenue.

The incident occurred at approximately 12:00 a.m., after Border Patrol agents conducting routine operations near Downtown Calexico observed what appeared to be six wrapped packages near the intersection of 1st Street and Blair Avenue in Calexico, Calif. Upon closer inspection Border Patrol agents confirmed the six packages which were wrapped to resemble kettle bell weights, all tested positive for marijuana.

“This seizure also speaks to the brazen nature of the narcotics smugglers who attempt to operate in the area, as the location of the narcotics is heavily transited by the public during all hours of the day”, said Spokesman Fabian Morales of the El Centro Sector Public Affairs. “There were no individuals associated with this seizure.”

In total, six packages of marijuana weighing approximately 14.77 pounds were seized with an estimated street value of more than $11,700. The marijuana was turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration.

The El Centro Sector’s Community Awareness Campaign is a simple and effective program to raise public awareness on the indicators of crime and other threats. We encourage public and private sector employees to remain vigilant and play a key role in keeping our country safe. Please report any suspicious activity to the Border Community Threat Hotline at (800) 901-2003.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control, and protection of our Nation’s borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.

Washington CBP Seizes $29K in Unreported Currency

Sterling, Va. — U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) seized $29,000 Monday from a Ghanaian woman for violating federal currency reporting regulations.

The passenger, who arrived to Dulles from London, declared possessing less than $10,000. While examining her bags, CBP officers discovered a large sum of U.S. currency in a zippered compartment of her handbag. The final count was $29,000.

There is no limit to how much currency travelers can import or export; however federal law requires travelers to report to CBP amounts exceeding $10,000 in U.S. dollars or equivalent foreign currency.

CBP officers seized the $29,000 and advised the traveler how to petition for the return of her seized currency.

“Travelers who refuse to comply with federal currency reporting requirements run the risk of having their currency seized, and may potentially face criminal charges,” said Christopher Hess, CBP port director for the Port of Washington. “The traveler was given the opportunity to truthfully report her currency. The easiest way to hold on to your money is to report it.”

In addition to narcotics interdiction, CBP routinely conducts inspection operations on arriving and departing international flights and intercepts currency, weapons, prohibited agriculture products or other illicit items.

Travelers are encouraged to visit CBP’s Travel website to learn rules governing travel to and from the U.S.

The Privacy Act prohibits releasing the traveler’s name since she was not criminally charged.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control, and protection of our Nation’s borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.

CBP Officers Seize 17 Vehicles and Assess $93,500 in Fines

Santa Teresa, New Mexico – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers working outbound operations at the Santa Teresa port of entry seized 17 vehicles and assessed penalties totaling $93,500 on Friday.

The discovery was made when CBP officers, conducting routine outbound enforcement operations in the vehicle export facility, detected issues with the paperwork linked to several vehicles destined for Mexico. Further investigation resulted in the seizure of 17 vehicles attempting to circumvent the CBP exportation process by presenting fraudulent export paperwork. Each of the 17 violations carries a fine of $5,500. A total of $93,500 in fines and penalties were assessed against the exporter. All 17 vehicles were also seized by CBP.

“This entire episode is curious because there was really nothing to gain here other than a small savings in time,” said CBP Santa Teresa assistant port director Fred Hutterer. “CBP does not charge a fee to process vehicles for export.”

The CBP vehicle export process is fairly simple. An exporter presents his original certificate of title or certified copy of the certificate of title and the CBP export cover sheet with the vehicle’s information (VIN/make/model) to CBP officers. The copies are date and time stamped which initiates the 72-hour requirement of the vehicle to remain in the United States prior to the formal export. During this 72-hour window CBP performs a series of checks to make sure the vehicle is eligible for export. After the 72 hours have elapsed the exporter will present the original title and the vehicle to CBP for verification. Once CBP determines that all requirements have been met the vehicle can be exported.

CBP officers at the Santa Teresa port process approximately 36,000 vehicles for export annually. The Santa Teresa port of entry is the only designated vehicle export location in the El Paso area.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control, and protection of our Nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.

Former Mexican Government Official Sentenced to Eight Years in Federal Prison After Pleading Guilty to Racketeering Charge

United States Attorney Laura E. Duffy announced that today United States District Court Judge William Q. Hayes sentenced Jesus Quinonez-Marquez, the former Director of International Liaison for the Baja California Attorney General’s Office, to serve 97 months in custody following a guilty plea to participating in a federal racketeering (RICO) conspiracy. After completing his custodial sentence, Quinonez-Marquez will be deported to Mexico and placed on a three-year term of supervised release. In his plea agreement, Quinonez-Marquez admitted that he corruptly used his official position within the Baja California Attorney General’s Office to further the criminal activities of the criminal enterprise controlled by Fernando Sanchez-Arellano (the FSO). Specifically, Quinonez-Marquez admitted to using his position as a lawyer at the Attorney General’s Office to provide information to FSO members to avoid apprehension and prosecution for a double homicide which occurred in Tijuana, Mexico, on March 25, 2010, and to conspiring to launder $13 million dollars on behalf of the FSO.

To date, 39 defendants have been convicted in this case, which resulted from a long-term investigation conducted by the multi-agency San Diego Cross Border Violence Task Force (CBVTF). The CBVTF was formulated to target those individuals involved in organized crime-related violent activities affecting both the United States and Mexico. Law enforcement personnel assigned to the CBVTF made extensive use of court-authorized wiretaps and other sophisticated investigative techniques to develop the significant evidence which led to the charges in this case. The trial of the single remaining defendant, Armando Villareal Heredia, will likely be scheduled in 2013. The public is reminded that an indictment itself is not evidence that the defendant committed the crimes charged. The defendant is presumed innocent until the government meets its burden in court of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

United States Attorney Duffy praised the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) for the coordinated team effort in the culmination of this investigation, Operation Luz Verde. Agents and officers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation; San Diego Police Department; Drug Enforcement Administration; San Diego Sheriff’s Office; Chula Vista Police Department; U.S. Marshals Service; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; San Diego District Attorney’s Office; and California Department of Justice participated in this OCDETF investigation. The OCDETF program was created to consolidate and utilize all law enforcement resources in this country’s battle against organized crime and major drug trafficking organizations.

Case Number 10CR3044-WQH

Defendant

Jesus Quinones Marquez, aka Rinon

Summary of Charges

Title 18, United States Code, Section 1962(d)-conspiracy to conduct enterprise affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity

Investigating Agencies

Federal Bureau of Investigation

San Diego Police Department

Drug Enforcement Administration

San Diego Sheriff’s Office

Chula Vista Police Department

U.S. Marshals Service

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives

California Department of Justice-San Diego District Attorney’s Office

El Centro Sector Border Patrol Stop a Series of Criminal Activities

Agents halt two smuggling attempts, arrest a convicted sex offender, and rescue five illegal aliens

Imperial Valley, Calif. – El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents had a busy weekend that included the arrest of a convicted sex offender, the seizure of 182 pounds of marijuana, a desert rescue, and the arrest of nine illegal aliens after they bailed out of a vehicle that attempted to flee from Border Patrol agents.

The first incident occurred on Friday at 10:50 p.m. when Calexico Border Patrol agents witnessed two illegal aliens swim north across the All American Canal and load two large bundles and themselves into the bed of a 1987 blue Dodge pick-up truck. Agents stopped the vehicle, arresting the driver and all four passengers. The bundles that were observed being loaded into the truck contained 182 pounds of marijuana with an estimated value of more than $145,000. The Drug Enforcement Administration took custody of all five individuals, the marijuana, and the pick-up truck.

The second incident occurred on Sunday at 5:20 a.m. Border Patrol agents assigned to the El Centro station apprehended a 34-year-old male Guatemalan national who had entered the United States illegally. Record checks revealed that the man was sentenced to15 years in prison in 1996 for a conviction of aggravated sex assault with a child. An immigration judge ordered him deported in 1998. He will be held for criminal prosecution.

In a separate incident on Sunday, El Centro Station Border Patrol agents performed a search and rescue operation at 9:50 a.m. to locate a group of four lost illegal aliens. The group relayed that one person was left behind. Agents located that person at 11:55 a.m. All five illegal aliens were examined by an Emergency Medical Technician and found to be in good health.

The fourth significant event of the weekend also occurred on Sunday. At approximately 3:00 p.m. two Calexico station Border Patrol agents received information that several illegal aliens had loaded into a white Ford Explorer. When agents attempted to pull the vehicle over near Highway 111 and Evan Hewes Highway, the driver refused to yield to the emergency lights and sirens of the Border Patrol vehicle. The driver attempted to evade agents and then came to an abrupt stop. Nine men and one woman exited the vehicle and fled into a nearby industrial business. After an extensive search, all nine illegal aliens from Mexico, as well as the driver of the vehicle, were arrested. The driver, a 22-year-old Mexican citizen, will be held for criminal prosecution and the 2002 Ford Explorer was seized.

The El Centro Border Patrol’s “See Something, Say Something” Campaign is a simple and effective program to increase the safety and welfare of the Imperial Valley by bringing public awareness to the indicators of crime and other threats. The community plays a key role keeping our country safe by identifying and reporting suspicious or criminal activity. We encourage Imperial Valley residents to report any suspicious activity to the Border Community Threat Hotline at (800) 901-2003.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.