News Releases and Statements

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has authorized U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson, Southern District of Texas, to seek the death penalty against William Rene Duran-Gomez, a U.S. permanent resident from El Salvador, for harboring aliens which resulted in the beating death of two Honduran men.

In the largest operation of its kind, 100 countries took part in an international week of action targeting the online sale of counterfeit and illegal medicines. ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), in coordination with the Department of Justice, seized 686 websites this week that were illegally selling counterfeit pharmaceuticals.

Heber Razuri-Leon was sentenced Monday in U.S. District Court to 30 months in prison for smuggling more than two kilograms of cocaine, with a street value of over $250,000 into the United States from Lima, Peru. The case was investigated by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) with the assistance of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

A probe by the multi-agency San Diego Tunnel Task Force has resulted in the indictment of Jose Sanchez Villalobos, a high-ranking operative for Mexico's Sinaloa drug cartel accused of masterminding two massive cross-border drug tunnels discovered along the U.S.-Mexico border in November 2010 and November 2011.

Nine Aurora, Ill., residents are facing federal narcotics and/or weapons charges for allegedly selling crack or powder cocaine, and in some cases heroin and firearms, federal and local law enforcement officials announced Wednesday. Another 10 defendants face similar state-related charges in Kane County.

The seized products included purses, handbags, wearing apparel, wallets, sunglasses, scarves, labels, jewelry, watches and handbag locks for multiple registered trademark holders.

According to court documents, Eugene Robert Otting, 41, of Lehigh Acres, Fla., used the Internet to locate and download child pornography. On April 19, HSI special agents executed a search warrant at Otting's residence. During the interview with HSI special agents, Otting admitted to using online peer-to-peer file sharing programs to access child pornography and to creating Facebook accounts and an email account for the purposes of sharing child pornography.

As the result of an investigation conducted by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), William Rensing of Lincoln Park, N.J. was indicted by a federal grand jury Tuesday for possessing and distributing images and videos depicting child sex abuse over the Internet.

As a result of this investigation, HSI seized more than 2,700 pounds of drugs.

Walter Fernando Alfaro-Pineda, an El Salvador man wanted in his country for murder, organized crime and extortion, was deported and turned over to officials of El Salvador Sept. 28 by officers with ICE's Enforcement Removal Operations (ERO).

Timothy Lee Dennison, 22, of Baltimore, was sentenced Tuesday to 15 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release for conspiring to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine. The investigation was led by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Michael D. Flammond, 38, of Sierra Vista, was sentenced Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Raner C. Collins to 10 years in prison, followed by lifetime supervised release and registration as a sex offender. Flammond pleaded guilty to the charges Jan. 11.

Nearly two years ago today, Philadelphia International Airport came to a grinding halt as a security incident was discovered on a Bermuda-bound US Airways aircraft. This security incident turned out to be a drug smuggling operation discovered by an astute airline employee...

A Florida man faces federal charges for operating an illicit pharmaceutical scheme out of his home that sold more than $7 million of unapproved and misbranded oncology drugs at a substantial discount to doctors in the United States through a San Diego pharmacy.

A Billings, Mont., woman, Jeri Lynn Milheim, was sentenced to 70 months in federal prison August 30 following her guilty plea on methamphetamine distribution charges.

The arrest of 64 men and women for solicitation of prostitution was announced Friday by the Bexar County Sheriff's Office (BCSO), ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the San Antonio Police Department.

A Los Angeles-area toy wholesaler, its two owners and the company's primary bookkeeper pleaded guilty Friday to federal charges related to their participation in an elaborate scheme known as a Black Market Peso Exchange, which enables drug trafficking organizations in Mexico and Colombia to launder proceeds from their drug sales.

Michael Allen Dreyer, an Algona man convicted in 2000 on federal child pornography charges, was convicted Thursday on new charges of possession and distribution of child pornography, following a four-day jury trial. HSI forensic examiners found in excess of 1,300 images of child pornography.

Five Fresno men have been indicted on federal charges following a probe by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) that uncovered a scheme to produce and sell tens of thousands of counterfeit movie and audio disks valued at more than $1 million.

Last month, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) hosted a familiarization trip for Honduran and Guatemalan immigration officials to learn more about the United States' detention and removal process and policies, and to strengthen ties between the United States and both countries.

Hugo Erazo-Argueta, a Honduran national wanted on drug trafficking charges in his home country, was deported Sept. 28 by ICE's Enforcement Removal Operations (ERO). He was escorted by ERO officers via an ICE Air Operations charter and turned over to Honduran law enforcement authorities upon arrival in San Pedro Sula, Honduras.

Two leaders of separate but sometimes collaborating drug-trafficking organizations were arrested and are among 39 defendants facing federal drug charges, federal and local law enforcement officials announced Friday.

A state government employee, Saul Velasco, is in federal custody after his arrest Wednesday on a drug charge. ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents are investigating the case.

A high ranking member of the Gulf Cartel was convicted Sept. 28 regarding a drug trafficking conspiracy that spanned more than 10 years, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson, Southern District of Texas.

Nine people from Rapid City and the surrounding Black Hills community were indicted Thursday by a federal grand jury for conspiracy to harbor aliens and harboring aliens. Four of the nine individuals are charged with an additional count of conspiracy to defraud the United States.