CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Federal prosecutors in South Texas announced charges against 413 individuals in immigration and border security enforcement efforts conducted from Feb. 6-13, U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei said in a press release.
The cases include charges against 17 people allegedly involved in human smuggling operations. Prosecutors charged 167 people with illegal entry, while another 227 face charges of felony reentry after prior removal. Most of those individuals have prior felony convictions, including narcotics offenses, violent crimes, and immigration violations. The remaining four individuals face charges related to other immigration crimes and false statements.
Among the notable cases, authorities charged Andres Wilkinson, a Customs and Border Protection supervisor in Laredo, with harboring an illegal alien. According to the complaint, Wilkinson allegedly allowed the individual and her minor child to reside at his home, provided financial support and permitted her to use vehicles registered in his name. The charges further allege he knowingly transported her through Border Patrol checkpoints. If convicted, Wilkinson faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a maximum fine of $250,000.
Criminal complaints allege five individuals attempted to unlawfully reenter the country within 10 months of their most recent removals. Mexican nationals Edgar Madrid-Orozco, Lauriano Santos-Rios, and Aaron Nava-Carillo were previously removed on April 11, July 9, and August 31, respectively. Authorities removed Belize national Edwin Rene Mancillas-Suriano May 22, while Guatemalan national Juan Dieguez-Nolasco was removed Dec. 30, 2025.
Each defendant allegedly has prior felony convictions, including battery, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, illegal reentry, aggravated sexual abuse, and assault of a family member. Authorities later found all five in the United States without legal authorization. If convicted, each faces up to 20 years in federal prison.
In Houston, Belize national Sindi Vanessa Moreno-Flores pleaded guilty to assaulting an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer. During a targeted enforcement operation in Conroe, Moreno-Flores attempted to flee arrest, scratched an ICE agent's arm and hands and swung her handcuffed arm at the agent before authorities restrained her.
In McAllen, 36-year-old Mexican national Angel Fabian Moreno-Rodriguez received a 70-month federal prison sentence. During a traffic stop in Donna, law enforcement discovered approximately five kilograms of fentanyl concealed in vacuum-sealed packages inside a cardboard box on the front passenger seat of his vehicle.
"I was paid to transport the narcotics," Moreno-Rodriguez said.
Prosecutors also announced the conviction of Gonzalo Chavez for conspiracy to transport illegal aliens. Law enforcement observed Chavez's vehicle near the Rio Grande before conducting a traffic stop and discovering four illegal aliens attempting to conceal themselves. At trial, the jury heard evidence showing Chavez coordinated with smugglers in Mexico to transport the individuals after they crossed the river. Chavez faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.
Federal law enforcement partners referred or supported these cases, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations, ICE - Enforcement and Removal Operations, Border Patrol, Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.
The cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to combat illegal immigration, eliminate cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect communities from violent crime perpetrators.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Texas represents 43 counties and more than nine million people, covering 44,000 square miles. Assistant U.S. Attorneys from all seven divisions, including Houston, Galveston, Victoria, Corpus Christi, Brownsville, McAllen, and Laredo, work directly with law enforcement partners on federal, state, and local levels to prosecute suspected federal crime offenders.
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