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