News Releases and Statements

Experts at the University of California, Los Angeles determined the item to be an ancient ceremonial drinking vessel originating in Argentina. A pre-Columbian art expert revealed the artifact was a genuine antiquity and dated it to be between 1,000 and 2,000 years old. The piece belongs to the Condorhuasi-Alamito or Aguada cultures in present-day northwest Argentina.

On Sept. 22, 2023, Antonio Casillas Montero, owner of Stone City Kennels, was sentenced to seven years in prison for conspiring to violate the Animal Welfare Act and for possession of dogs for use in animal fighting ventures. U.S. Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico W. Stephen Muldrow announced the sentence.

Jose Daniel Ramirez, 20, of San Diego, admitted to selling the fentanyl pills disguised as oxycodone to the victim — referred to as K.W. P. in court documents — and others. In a series of text messages, Ramirez agreed to sell “2 blues” to K.W.P.

Officers with ERO Boston arrested an unlawfully present Haitian national Oct. 3 in Sturbridge who was recently arrested and arraigned on charges of assault and battery on a family member.

The noncitizen was convicted of breaking into and setting fire to a church in 2017 and will now remain in U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody pending removal proceedings.

Summer Marie Creech, 45, admitted that beginning in or around 2019 she learned how to acquire genuine Series I savings bonds numbers. She then used computer software and printers to forge counterfeit bonds.

The noncitizen had been convicted on multiple felony charges, including intent to distribute heroin, illegal firearms possession, aggravated identity theft, false representation of a social security number and unlawful reentry after deportation. The convicted felon was apprehended Oct. 4 in Methuen while possessing fentanyl and cocaine.

According to the indictment, Saul Parra, Patrick Orozco and Rafael Gamez-Ramirez, all from Tucson, began coordinating human smuggling activity around November 2021. Allegedly, Gamez-Ramirez coordinated with Orozco to purchase a parcel of land located in Bisbee to facilitate the transport of undocumented noncitizens into the United States.

According to court documents, Ana Maria Hernandez, 53, portrayed herself to be a USCIS employee and defrauded numerous undocumented noncitizen victims and their family members by falsely representing that she would process their immigration applications for a substantial fee.

The case began on March 15, when Zulema Ruas Madrid, 43, of Mexico, was arrested as part of the multiagency operation. Officials found her in possession of approximately 15.52 pounds of cocaine and charged her with possession of a narcotic drug, possession of narcotic drugs for sale, and transportation of narcotic drugs.

Amir Aqeel, a 54-year-old resident of Houston, was sentenced Oct. 2 to 15 years in prison for leading the conspiracy and helping at least 14 other individuals submit more than 75 fraudulent PPP loan applications in 2020. Five others previously pleaded guilty and were sentenced Oct. 3 for their roles in the scheme. Khalid Abbas, 57, of Richmond, and Richard Reuth, 60, of Spring, both received 2 ½ years in prison. Rifat Bajwa, 54, of Richmond Siddiq Azeemuddin, 44, of Naperville, Illinois; and Pardeep Basra, 54, of Houston, were sentenced to three years, two years, and three years and five months in prison, respectively. A sixth conspirator, Abdul Fatani, a 57-year-old resident of Richmond who was convicted on Feb. 8 of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering, was sentenced to three years in prison.

Working in concert with federal partners, HSI agents and CBP officers investigated and interdicted precursor chemicals that Mexican cartels attempted to smuggle into the United States.

According to court documents, Pedro Thiessen, 71, failed to declare $12,171 when entering the United States at the Ysleta Port of Entry in October 2022.

Muhammad Anis, 55, Nishant Patel, 41, and Harjeet Singh, 49, all of Houston; and Arham Uddin, 27, and Ammas Uddin, 30, both of Richmond, pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas to conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

On Sept. 27, ERO Newark arrested a Mexican national in Bridgeton who was convicted of endangering-sexual conduct with a child.

Sean Lee Arnold, 51, of Tucson, previously pleaded guilty to possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Losonczi Andras, 40, was flown from John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens to Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport. Upon arrival in Hungary, officials turned Losonczi over to the proper authorities.

Individuals who lack a lawful basis to stay in the United States are ordered removed, consistent with U.S. law – all individuals who are removed have been screened for protection concerns.

Daniel Zintura Sr., a 49-year-old resident of Alamo, was sentenced in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas to serve 151 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release for possession with intent to distribute 8 kilograms of cocaine. Zintura pleaded guilty to the charges on May 25.

ICE Directive 15006.1 codifies and strengthens the agency’s best practices and supports DHS's broader efforts to combat transnational repression by helping ensure Red Notices and Wanted Person Diffusions are issued for legitimate law enforcement purposes and comply with governing rules.

Deportation officers from ERO Boston’s Fugitive Operations team, along with CBP's Air and Marine Operations and detectives from the Edgartown Police Department, apprehended the 31-year-old Brazilian national in Edgartown Sept. 28.

James Aubrey Zachary Wasson, 38-year-old resident of Montgomery County, pleaded guilty to the charges in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas.

On Sept. 27, Rafael Gutierrez-Galvan, 29, and his wife Deyanira Garza, 28, from Alamo, made their initial appearances in federal court.

Juan Manuel Tena, 40, of Pharr, and Julia Isairis Torres, 37, Israel Torres Jr., 34, and Jose Refugio Torres, 27, all of Roma, conspired to transport noncitizens from the Rio Grande Valley to destinations within the United States. As a result of that conspiracy, eight noncitizens were killed and two others seriously injured.

Officers focused enforcement efforts on priority fugitive noncitizens and priority noncitizens previously removed from the United States who reentered the country illegally; specifically, those identified as having a criminal conviction for certain felonies or convictions for other crimes including but not limited to murder for hire, manslaughter, sex crimes against children, assault with a firearm, battery, domestic violence, drug trafficking, possession of a controlled substance and driving under the influence.