Posted by AP May 16, 2005
U.S. Border Patrol arrest criminal alien and alleged gangster
Tucson, AZ -- This weekend, Border Patrol agents arrested one individual with ties to the well-known gang Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and one individual with a warrant out of Santa Ana, California for sex with a minor.
On May 14 at 8:30 a.m., agents from Border Patrol Air Operations and Border Patrol Search Trauma and Rescue (BORSTAR) apprehended an individual with ties to the gang Mara Salvatrucha.
While patrolling near Highway 286, a fixed wing aircraft notified an Air Operations helicopter of a group of suspected illegal aliens. A BORSTAR Agent in the helicopter deployed on the ground and encountered a group of 17 individuals. The individuals were questioned and it was determined that they were in the United States illegally. During processing, Agents entered each individual's fingerprints and photographs into the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS). One individual, identified as Omar Nunez-Jairo a 29-year-old native of Honduras, was identified as a member of the well-known gang MS-13. MS-13 members have been known to be involved with all aspects of criminal activity including drug trafficking and murder.
Nunez has an arrest history in the United States for crimes ranging from Criminal Mischief to Malicious Wounding and Acts of Violence by Mob. On May 14, 2005 at 6:30 A.M., camera operators at the Naco Border Patrol station observed two individuals walking north from the border fence west of the Naco, Arizona Port of Entry. Agents responded to the area and encountered two individuals hiding in the brush. Both individuals admitted to being citizens of Mexico in the United States illegally.
At the Naco, Arizona Border Patrol Station, Agents entered both individuals' fingerprints and photographs into the IAFIS system. IAFIS indicated that one individual, identified as Juan Marin-Velasquez a 26-year-old native of Mexico, had a felony warrant out of Santa Ana, CA for sex with a minor. The agency issuing the warrant refused extradition outside of the State of California. The U.S. Border Patrol is holding Marin for prosecution for Entry Without Inspection.
From the beginning of fiscal year 2005 through May 9, 2005, the Tucson Sector has arrested 21,971 criminal aliens.
