Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of California filed 111 border-related cases this week, including charges of bringing in aliens for financial gain, reentering the United States after deportation, and importation of controlled substances, according to a July 17 announcement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The Southern District of California is described as the fourth-busiest federal district due to its high volume of border-related crimes. The district covers San Diego and Imperial counties and shares a 140-mile border with Mexico. It includes the San Ysidro Port of Entry, which is identified as the world’s busiest land border crossing connecting San Diego and Tijuana.
In addition to reactive prosecutions related to border activity, the office also handles proactive cases involving terrorism, organized crime, drugs, white-collar fraud, violent crime, cybercrime, human trafficking, and national security. Recent developments in these areas are available through official channels.
A sample of arrests made this week includes Saul Castro Valenzuela being charged with Attempted Bringing in Aliens for Financial Gain after allegedly captaining a vessel transporting 21 undocumented aliens intercepted by the U.S. Coast Guard at Mission Bay; Salvador Lopez Chee being charged with Importation of a Controlled Substance after Customs and Border Protection officers reportedly found 131 pounds of cocaine hidden in his truck at the San Ysidro Port of Entry; and Hector Bejerano-Bejerano (also known as Bejarano-Bejarano), who was arrested for Deported Alien Found in the United States following an encounter with Border Patrol agents north of the border near Tecate Port of Entry.
The immigration cases were referred or supported by several federal law enforcement agencies including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), U.S. Border Patrol, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) along with state and local partners.
Indictments and criminal complaints are described as allegations only; all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.