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In San Antonio today, a federal grand jury indicted a Watuga, TX, man for his alleged role in an undocumented alien smuggling conspiracy announced United States Attorney Richard L. Durbin, Jr., and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Acting Special Agent in Charge Mark Dawson.
The federal indictment charges 33–year-old Drew Christopher Potter with one count of conspiracy to commit alien smuggling for financial gain and three substantive counts of transportation of undocumented aliens. According to the indictment, Potter conspired to transport undocumented aliens for private financial gain.
On September 18, 2015, Frio County Sheriff’s deputies along with U.S. Border Patrol agents from the Cotulla Border Patrol Station responded to a 911 call from someone who witnessed multiple subjects exiting a semi-tractor-trailer parked at a local convenience store along Interstate 35 South. At the scene, authorities encountered the alleged driver, Potter, and 39 undocumented aliens including 28 adult males, 7 adult females and four minors from Guatemala, El Salvador and Mexico.
Potter remains in federal custody. Upon conviction of each count, he faces up to ten years in federal prison and a maximum $250,000 fine.
“HSI is dedicated to working closely with its law enforcement partners in all arenas in pursuit of identifying, arresting and prosecuting individuals involved in human smuggling,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Mark Dawson, HSI San Antonio.
This case was investigated by HSI, U.S. Border Patrol and the Frio County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Lathrop is prosecuting this case on behalf of the Government.
HOUSTON (AP) —
Death row in Texas is getting its first new inmate in 2015, ending a 10-month hiatus in death sentences imposed by juries in the nation's most active capital punishment state.
A Brazos County jury decided after seven hours of deliberation Wednesday that 22-year-old Gabriel Hall should be put to death for an attack that left a 68-year-old man dead and his wife injured at the couple's home in College Station.
It is the first death sentence imposed in Texas since last December.
Jurors rejected the option of sending Hall to prison for life with no chance of parole — the outcome in three other Texas capital cases this year where the death penalty was a possibility.
Brazos County is about 100 miles northwest of Houston.
HIDALGO, Texas—
U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations (OFO) at the Hidalgo International Bridge prevented 24 pounds of alleged cocaine from crossing the U.S.-Mexico border and arrested a Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico man in connection with the failed drug smuggling attempt.
“Our frontline officers detected and intercepted this compact but significant seizure of hard narcotics and stopped the load from entering into our communities,” said Acting Port Director Javier Cantu, Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas Port of Entry. “Our officers’ outstanding commitment towards combatting these illicit efforts is demonstrated every time they put on their uniform.”
The seizure occurred on Oct. 6, at the Hidalgo-Reynosa International Bridge after a CBP officer referred a tan 2005 Ford Escape driven by a 20-year-old male Mexican citizen for further inspection. While inspecting the vehicle in secondary and with the use of a canine enforcement team, officers discovered 10 packages of alleged cocaine hidden within the Escape.
CBP OFO seized the vehicle along with the nearly 24 pounds of narcotics which have an estimated street value of $182,000 and arrested the Reynosa resident, subsequently releasing him to the custody of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents for further investigation.