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