Commercial Bus Companies Smuggling Drugs Through Out the Americas

Indicted for drug trafficking are the				resident alien residing in Brookshire,
owners/operators of commercial bus				Texas; Miguel Montemayor, 39, a resident
companies operating from Mexico into the				alien residing in Roma, Texas; Victor
Rio Grande Valley to numerous U.S.				Hinojosa, 41, a resident alien residing
cities and their drivers, have been				in Houston; and Eduardo Trevino, 40, of
indicted for transporting large loads of				Linares, Mexico, as the owners/managers
marijuana and cocaine in specially				of the various commercial bus companies
modified commercial buses and using				operating as fronts for transporting
money laundering techniques.				cocaine and marijuana from Mexico to
According to the U.S. government the				various locations in the U.S. in
indictment, recently unsealed, describes				exchange for cash payments. Â The
the use of specially modified commercial				indictment goes on to say that the
buses by alleged drug traffickers				amount of the payment often depended
interested in smuggling contraband into				upon the kind of drug, the size of the
the United States from Monterrey,				load and its ultimate destination. For
Mexico, or transporting contraband from				example, the indictment alleges the
the Rio Grande Valley to Houston and				defendants charge from $500 per kilogram
Dallas, Texas; Allentown, Pa.; Joliet,				of cocaine bound for the U.S. side of
Ill. and elsewhere. The indictment				the border to $7,000 per kilogram of
alleges the owners or managers of the				cocaine bound for New York. The buses
Transtar, Neptune Tours, Los Primos,				were specially equipped with hidden
USA-MEX and Ameri-Mex commercial bus				compartments to conceal loads of
companies, with offices and terminals in				contraband from detection. According to
Monterrey, Mexico and Rio Grande City,				allegations in the indictment, the owner
Roma, San Antonio and Houston, Texas,				managers discussed ways to operate their
used their various companies as a front				buses to protect themselves from
for their drug transport services, and				detection by law enforcement including
hired drivers and loaders to transport				changing the names of the bus companies
the illegal cargo in hidden compartments				as loads of cocaine and marijuana were
built into the bus or in areas not				seized to claiming the buses were leased
accessible to the public. In exchange				to others. Abel Trevino, Montemayor and
for the services, the indictment alleges				Hinojosa were arrested today in Houston.
the owners/managers of the bus companies				A warrant remains outstanding for the
received thousands of dollars in				arrest of Prado and Eduardo Trevino.
kickbacks from the proceeds of the drug				Leticia Enedina Fournier, 58; Guadalupe
loads from which they drew their share				Karr Cortez, 47, an illegal alien, Jesse
and paid the drivers and loaders.				Trevino, 48, a resident alien, and
According to the indictment, this drug				Alejandro Carmargo-Guerra, 59, a
transport service has been in operation				resident alien, all of Houston; Victor
since at least November 2001 and is				Rocha, 39, a resident alien residing in
responsible for transporting hundreds of				Dickinson, Texas, and Enrique Alvaro
kilograms of cocaine, thousands of				Saldana, 53, a resident alien residing
pounds of marijuana from the border to				in Roma, Texas, are alleged
points north and millions of dollars in				co-conspirators hired by the owner
drug proceeds south to Mexico. OCEDTF				managers as bus drivers and loaders who
Operation Road King II targeted this				were paid by the owners/managers to
organization beginning in 2001 and				transport and deliver the drug loads
through the use of tried and true				hidden aboard the commercial buses as
investigative techniques, communication,				directed by the owners/managers. This
coordination and cooperation, ultimately				morning, investigating agents arrested
established a more sophisticated				Trevino and Rocha in Houston,
undercover operation. Through that				Carmargo-Guerra in Waco, Texas, and
undercover operation, more than 570				Cortez in Lake Charles, La. Warrants
kilograms of cocaine, 3,000 plus pounds				remain outstanding for the arrest of
of marijuana and the thousands of				Fournier and Saldana.
dollars in cash have been seized.				Guadalupe Castaneda, 46, of Roma, Texas;
Additionally, this multi-agency				Eduardo Cirilo, 42, of Pharr, Texas;
investigative effort has lead to arrests				Eduardo Salinas, 29, of Mission, Texas;
in and the seizure of 200 kilograms of				Jose Armando Muniz, 33, of Weslaco,
cocaine in Allentown and 1,100 pounds of				Texas; Rafael Armando Ramirez, 32, an
marijuana in Joliet. Information				illegal alien residing in the Houston
gathered through the investigation was				area; Luis Larios, 36, and Robert
shared with law enforcement agencies in				Salazar Rivera, 48, both of Monterrey,
other U.S. cities including New York,				Mexico, are accused of utilizing and
North Carolina, New Jersey, Tennessee,				paying for the services of the bus
Alabama, Florida and Maryland.				companies to transport loads of cocaine
The indictment is the result of a				and marijuana to various locations in
long-term Organized Crime Drug				the United States. Eduardo Salinas was
Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF)				arrested this morning in McAllen, Texas,
investigation dubbed Operation Road King				while Cirilo was arrested today in Baton
II.				Rouge, La. Warrants remain outstanding
Â				for the arrest of Castaneda, Muniz,
John P. Walters, the Director of the				Ramirez, Larios and Rivera.
White House Office of National Drug				According to the FBI all 18 defendants
Control Policy commented that the				are charged in the conspiracy to possess
positive impact the coordinated and				with intent to distribute cocaine and
cooperative effort federal, state and				marijuana and face no less than 10 years
local law enforcement action has had on				and a maximum of life imprisonment if
reducing the supply of drugs and the				convicted. Most of the defendants are
concomitant reduction in demand is				also charged with conspiracy to launder
impressive.				drug proceeds and face a maximum of 20
Special Agent in Charge Andrew Bland of				years imprisonment if convicted. The
FBI Houston, together with Special Agent				remaining 14 counts of the indictment
in Charge Zoran B. Yankovich of DEA				charge various defendants with aiding
Houston, recognized their law				and abetting the possession with intent
enforcement colleagues in the High				to distribute varying amounts of either
Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task				cocaine for marijuana and face
Force (HIDTA) which, in this case,				punishment ranges upon conviction from a
included the Houston Police Department,				maximum of five years imprisonment to
Immigration and Customs Enforcement				life imprisonment and millions of
(ICE), Customs and Border Protection				dollars in fines.
(CBP), and the Texas Department of				The indictment also serves notice on the
Public Safety (DPS) for their				defendants of the intent of the United
long-standing commitment and outstanding				States to forfeit their interests in a
contributions to this OCDETF				number of real properties located in
investigation. The U.S. Marshals				east Houston, Texas, which were
Service, also a member of HIDTA, was				allegedly used to facilitate or obtained
recognized for its extraordinary efforts				with proceeds from the crimes alleged in
during the arrest process.				the indictment.
The U.S. Justice Department indictments				This case will be prosecuted by
identifies Abel Trevino Jr., 43, of				Assistant U.S. Attorney Jesse Rodriguez.
Houston; Oscar Jaime Garcia Prado, 42, a

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Commercial Bus Companies Smuggling Drugs Through Out the Americas