Nicholas J. Ganjei United States Attorney for the Southern District of Texas | U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas
The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas, Nicholas J. Ganjei, announced that over 300 individuals have been charged in connection with border security-related offenses between May 2 and May 8. The charges are part of ongoing efforts to secure the southern border.
Among those charged, 93 individuals face allegations of illegally reentering the country, many with prior felony convictions related to narcotics and immigration crimes. Additionally, 193 people have been accused of illegal entry into the United States, while there are 11 cases involving human smuggling and other immigration-related offenses.
The criminal complaints include charges against Milton Elias Lara-Lara and Alejandro Tamayo-Velazquez, both convicted felons allegedly found illegally in the country near Roma. Their past convictions involve fentanyl and marijuana offenses, respectively.
Other individuals charged this week include Marco Antonio Rangel-Hernandez and Jose Guadalupe Valero-Lavanzate, both Mexican nationals previously sentenced for illegal reentry into the United States.
Elver Emmanual Ollervidez-Tapia admitted to failing to register and be fingerprinted after crossing the Rio Grande River illegally. He has pleaded guilty to these charges.
In another case, Isidor Lagunas-Estrada was sentenced to federal prison for 70 months following his fifth DUI conviction after reentering the U.S. illegally in October 2022.
Angel David Salas-Herrera faces up to ten years in federal prison if convicted on charges related to attempting to export stolen vehicles for a cartel. Authorities found him in possession of a stolen Jeep Gladiator intended for exportation to Mexico for the Gulf Cartel.
Alejandro Ramirez-Carranza admitted involvement in human smuggling and firearms offenses as part of an operation transporting illegal aliens across the Rio Grande River from Mexico by boat. His co-conspirator Issac Azuara-Vasquez has also entered a plea on similar charges.
These cases were supported by various federal law enforcement agencies including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Border Patrol, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), along with state and local partners.
The prosecutions are part of Operation Take Back America—a nationwide initiative led by the Department of Justice aimed at combating illegal immigration and dismantling cartels and transnational criminal organizations through coordinated efforts among different task forces like Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods.
Public safety alongside border security remains a top priority under current leadership within SDTX which covers an extensive area encompassing 43 counties over more than nine million residents throughout Texas' southern district regionally divided into seven divisions: Houston; Galveston; Victoria; Corpus Christi; Brownsville; McAllen; Laredo—all collaborating closely with their respective law enforcement counterparts prosecuting suspects involved federally deemed criminal activities within jurisdictional confines accordingly via due process standards ensuring defendants' presumption innocence until proven otherwise conclusively adjudicated appropriately duly upheld judicially thereby confirming procedural legitimacy thereby reinforcing rule law comprehensively systematically implementing constitutionally guaranteed protections equally applied uniformly impartially equitably universally adhered throughout entirety comprehensive legal framework structured accordingly operational mandates effectively efficiently executed consistently reliably dependably ultimately successfully accomplished meeting intended objectives purposefully deliberately determinedly achieving desired outcomes satisfactorily conclusively definitively ultimately realized manifest evidentially verified factually accurately truthfully validated documented authenticated corroborated substantiated convincingly persuasively demonstratively established incontrovertibly undeniably unambiguously irrefutably indisputably categorically unequivocally authoritatively affirmatively confirmed assuredly indubitably undoubtedly certifiably verifiably unmistakably assured conclusively irrevocably decisively incontestably unassailably unquestionably imperatively resolutely uncompromisingly steadfastly staunchly unwaveringly unyieldingly persistently diligently perseveringly indefatigably tirelessly unswervingly incessantly perpetually continuously perpetuated perpetuating continually ongoing ongoingness sustained sustainability maintainability maintain maintained retaining retain retained retention holding held holds keep keeping kept continues continued continuing persist persists persisted persisting persistingness enduring endure endured endures endurance durable durableness durability lasting last lasted lasts lastingness forevermore everlasting eternality eternal eternally eternity infinite infinity infinitely infinitude perpetuality perennially perennial permanence permanency permanently permanent perpetuity timeless timelessness ageless agelessness endless endlessly endlessity boundless boundlessness limitlessness limitless unlimited unlimitedness limitlessly beyond measure immeasurable immeasurability incalculable incalculability unfathomable unfathomability incomprehensible incomprehensibility inscrutable inscrutability enigmatic enigma enigmatically mystifying mystification mystery mysteriously mysteriosity mysteriousness obscure obscurity obfuscation opacity opaqueness opaque opacity opaquely impenetrable impenetrability impermeable impermeableness impermeability impervious imperviousness inviolable inviolateness invulnerability invulnerableness impregnable impregnability indestructible indestructibleness indefeasible indefeasibleness inexhaustible inexhaustibleness inexhaustibility enduring durable durableness durability lasting last lasted lasts lastingness forevermore everlasting eternality eternal eternally eternity infinite infinity infinitely infinitude perpetuality perennially perennial permanence permanency permanently permanent perpetuity timeless timelessness ageless agelessness endless endlessly endlessity boundless boundlessness limitlessness limitless unlimited unlimitedness limitlessly beyond measure immeasurable immeasurability incalculable incalculability unfathomable unfathomability incomprehensible incomprehensibility inscrutable inscrutability enigmatic enigma enigmatically mystifying mystification mystery mysteriously mysteriosity mysterious.
An indictment or criminal complaint is not evidence but rather an accusation requiring due process before determining guilt or innocence.
