News Releases and Statements

David Ramiro Cerna Jr., 37, of Moorhead, was sentenced to serve 16 years in prison for aiding and abetting a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamines and marijuana.

Casey Stevens Rosen, 24, of Minneapolis, Minn., was sentenced to serve 20 years in prison for conspiracy to possess and distribute analogue substances resulting in serious bodily injury or death.

The inspection of the employers' documents is part of HSI's worksite enforcement strategy that launched in 2009 to reduce the demand for illegal employment and protect employment opportunities for the nation's lawful workforce.

The Wolves, or tactical officers, work with criminal investigators toward the common goal of dismantling narcotics and human smuggling organizations that operate on the tribal land.

Jason B. Nolan, 37, of Gibsonia, Pa., was sentenced Friday after being convicted of possession of material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor.

Novelette 'Pat' Campbell, 55, of the Bronx, was convicted after a one-week trial before US District Judge George B. Daniels.

Garron Gonzalez, 38, of Bismarck, was found guilty by a federal jury of attempting to persuade a 15-year-old child to send him sexually explicit visual depictions using a cell phone. The two had met while playing an online video game.

Of the individuals taken into custody, 15 were criminal aliens whose convictions include: sexual misconduct, felonious restraint, violating a protection order, felony driving under the influence causing bodily harm, battery, resisting arrest, criminal damage to property and illegal re-entry after deportation.

The websites listed over 20 different synthetic narcotics available for sale, including schedule I and III controlled substances and analogues. Some of the drugs purchased included Fentanyl, Bath Salts and Methylone.

Intelligence led police to the container which was scheduled to depart from the port of Cartagena for Rotterdam, Netherlands. Investigators from the antinarcotics police detected irregularities in the paperwork, which declared that the shipment contained jarred pineapple.

Jose Alberto Centurion-Cruz, aka Jose Alberto Cruz, 30, was indicted by a federal grand jury in northern California in January 2013 for possession and distribution of child pornography.

As part of Project iGuardian, HSI special agents in San Juan organized the largest Internet safety outreach for kids 12 to 16 years old to provide them with the necessary tools to make smart decisions when navigating in the Internet.

Jose Palermos, 43, a citizen of Mexico who was residing in Philadelphia, was arrested May 16, 2013, by the Philadelphia Police Department on child exploitation related charges. The victim was a 7-year-old girl.

This morning, ring leader Juan Valdez was arrested at a family member's home at 308 East 184th Street, Bronx, which houses a day care center called Sweet Home. Approximately $7,500 cash was seized from a bedroom in the residence where Valdez was staying.

A written plea agreement with Jesus Vicente Zambada-Niebla, 39, was made public April 10 in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. He pleaded guilty April 3, 2013 before U.S. District Chief Judge Ruben Castillo.

As HSI's lead victim assistance specialist in Arizona, Marc Tetzlaff was recognized for his work providing vital support and services to crime victims as well as his efforts to raise awareness on human trafficking.

Mario Ernesto Huezo-Vasquez, 32, departed the United States Tuesday onboard an ICE Air Operations Unit charter flight. Upon arrival in El Salvador, ERO officers turned him over to officials from the Salvadoran Civilian National Police (PNC).

ICE HSI Buffalo is to be commended for bringing together law enforcement officers from all levels of government to investigate these serious issues for our country.

Reynoso Matos, aka Julio Eliezer Minyettis, a native and citizen of the Dominican Republic, was charged April 8. He has a prior aggravated-felony conviction for trafficking of controlled substances.

Steven Ray Hemenway, 47, admitted to possessing child pornography when investigators searched his home in February 2013. HSI special agents began their probe after Canadian officials arrested a Toronto man for distributing child pornography by email, including to an address later tied to Hemenway.

Ian Quincy Winn, 48, admitted in a plea agreement to receiving child pornography and engaging in online chats about child sex abuse with undercover HSI special agents. Court records state Winn engaged in chats with an undercover HSI special agent who was posing as a man with a 6-year-old niece.

The tunnel is approximately 449 feet long, with approximately 60 feet in Mexico and 389 feet in the U.S. The tunnel is roughly four feet tall and ends underneath a canyon just east of the Mariposa Port of Entry in Nogales, Ariz. The tunnel was incomplete and did not have a U.S. exit.

Of the individuals taken into custody, 30 were criminal aliens whose convictions include: sex offenses, rape, larceny, drug possession, domestic violence, aggravated assault, and driving under the influence.

HSI Dallas is assisting the Dallas Police Department and the Dallas SWAT with one of the big attractions, the March Madness Music Festival inside the Dallas Convention Center in Bracket Town and Reunion Arena area.

Alan Johnson, 23, made his initial appearance in federal court Friday afternoon to answer to the charges.