Federal supervisor among more than 411 new cases filed as part of Southern District’s border enforcement efforts

HOUSTON - A total of 413 individuals have been charged in immigration and border security enforcement efforts from Feb. 6-13, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

The cases include charges against 17 people allegedly involved in human smuggling. A total of 167 people were charged with illegal entry, while another 227 face charges of felony reentry after prior removal. Most of those individuals have prior felony convictions such as narcotics offenses, violent crimes and immigration crimes. The remaining four individuals charged this week relate to other immigration crimes and a false statement charge.

One recent case involves Andres Wilkinson, a Customs and Border Protection supervisor charged in Laredo with harboring an illegal alien. According to the complaint, Wilkinson allegedly allowed the illegal alien and her minor child to reside at his home, provided financial support and permitted her to use vehicles registered in his name. The charges further allege he knowingly transported her through Border Patrol checkpoints. If convicted, Wilkinson faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.

In additional cases, criminal complaints allege five individuals attempted to unlawfully reenter the country within 10 months of their most recent removals.

According to court documents, Mexican nationals Edgar Madrid-Orozco, Lauriano Santos-Rios and Aaron Nava-Carillo were previously removed April 11, July 9, and August 31, respectively. Authorities removed Belize national Edwin Rene Mancillas-Suriano May 22, while Guatemalan national Juan Dieguez-Nolasco was removed Dec. 30, 2025.

Each defendant allegedly has prior felony convictions, including battery, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, illegal reentry, aggravated sexual abuse and assault of a family member. Authorities later found all five in the United States without legal authorization. If convicted, each faces up to 20 years in federal prison.

In a separate case in Houston, a Belize national illegally residing in Conroe pleaded guilty to assaulting an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer. During a targeted enforcement operation, Sindi Vanessa Moreno-Flores attempted to flee arrest, scratched an ICE agent's arm and hands and swung her handcuffed arm at the agent before authorities restrained her and took her into custody.

In McAllen, 36-year-old Mexican national Angel Fabian Moreno-Rodriguez was sentenced to 70 months in federal prison. During a traffic stop in Donna, law enforcement discovered approximately five kilograms of fentanyl concealed in vacuum-sealed packages inside a cardboard box on the front passenger seat of his vehicle. Moreno-Rodriguez admitted he was paid to transport the narcotics.

Also announced this week was the conviction of Gonzalo Chavez for conspiracy to transport illegal aliens. Law enforcement observed Chavez's vehicle near the Rio Grande before conducting a traffic stop and discovering four illegal aliens attempting to conceal themselves. At trial, the jury heard evidence showing Chavez coordinated with smugglers in Mexico to transport the aliens after they crossed the river. Chavez faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.

These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations, ICE - Enforcement and Removal Operations, Border Patrol, Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, U.S. Marshals Service and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.

The cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

Under current leadership, public safety and a secure border are the top priorities for this district. Enhanced enforcement both at the border and in the interior of the district have yielded aliens engaged in unlawful activity or with serious criminal histories, including convictions for human trafficking, sexual assault and violence against children.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Texas remains one of the busiest in the nation. It represents 43 counties and more than nine million people covering 44,000 square miles. Assistant U.S. Attorneys from all seven divisions including Houston, Galveston, Victoria, Corpus Christi, Brownsville, McAllen and Laredo work directly with our law enforcement partners on the federal, state and local levels to prosecute the suspected offenders of these and other federal crimes.

An indictment or criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.