An investigation conducted by ICE, along with the FBI and the Diplomatic Security Service led to the federal indictment of Cameroonian national, Eric Tano Tataw, 38, of Gaithersburg, Maryland.
Arrests included 378 criminal illegal aliens with final orders of removal issued by an immigration judge. Officers arrested various violent offenders, gang members, sex offenders, fugitives from justice and those who pose significant public safety threats.
According to court records, between July 7, 2022, and March 21, 2023, Jose Luis Avalos, 42, the leader of the organization and the final defendant to plead in the case, along with co-conspirators and his wife, Kristina Hardin, coordinated the illegal transportation and harboring of illegal aliens throughout New Mexico.
Angel Valdez, a 19-year-old Corpus Christi resident, was convicted April 28 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas of distributing child sexual abuse materials following a multi-national investigation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Corpus Christi Police Department, and law enforcement authorities in Australia.
The scheme involved suspects applying for store credit cards using stolen identities and credit lines to purchase merchandise. T
The criminal records of those arrested include convictions or charges for 9,639 assaults, 6,398 DWIs or DUIs and 1,479 weapon offenses.
