U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, in partnership with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and Department of Justice Diplomatic Security Service, arrested three illegal aliens during routine daily operations April 21 in Northern Virginia.
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.
