Two members of the Tango Blast gang, Juan Miguel Regalado and Samuel Grajeda Jr., have been sentenced following their involvement in a conspiracy to transport undocumented immigrants. This comes after an investigation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Border Patrol’s Laredo Sector, and the Texas Department of Public Safety.
U.S. District Judge John A. Kazen sentenced Regalado to 66 months in prison. Grajeda received a 30-month sentence, with an additional six months for violating supervised release from a previous conviction related to alien transportation. Both will serve three years of supervised release post-incarceration. As part of their guilty pleas on November 12, 2024, both admitted to participating in the conspiracy.
"These sentences reflect the serious consequences awaiting those who engage in human smuggling and endanger public safety," said ICE Homeland Security Investigations San Antonio Special Agent in Charge Craig Larrabee. "Tango Blast gang members put countless lives at risk during these reckless pursuits."
The investigation began on April 20, 2024, when suspected illegal aliens entered a green Tahoe driven by Regalado in the Mines Road area. This led to a high-speed chase where individuals exited the vehicle as it sped up to 100 miles per hour before ending up in the Rio Grande River, with Regalado swimming across to Mexico.
Further surveillance continued over several months until November 2024 when another group entered a white Ford Taurus near Father McNaboe Park within the same area. A black Mercedes sedan driven by Grajeda cut off law enforcement pursuing the Taurus, leading to another chase that resulted in Grajeda crashing into another vehicle but continuing his attempt to evade authorities.
The pursuit ended with four undocumented immigrants found near an abandoned Ford Taurus in north Laredo. Both Grajeda and Regalado were located nearby and apprehended.
Grajeda and Regalado remain detained pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa A. Lopez from the Southern District of Texas prosecuted this case.
