Officials seized. At sentencing, Murdaugh maintained his innocence, just as he did when he testified in his own defense during the six-week trial. When one defendant was brought to court in San Antonio, a former U.S. congressman showed up to support him. The bust happened at a Best Western off Loop 410 near Callaghan Road. But not good enough, Moyer said. She previously worked for WICS/WRSP 20 in Springfield, Illinois. This arrest operation also resulted in firearms, currency, and a large amount of methamphetamine being seized from these individuals. (Robert McLeroy/Staff). When Humberto came into power, RCG was tiny, said Jorge Rosales Saade, an official with the opposition PAN party in Coahuila. BCSO AND DEA TAG UNIT DRUG BUST Joel Villarreal aka Gordo, 49, of San Antonio; Agents arrested Lumbreras on Monday night. The lawsuit seeks $2.8 million in an account Torres has in Bermuda. Jacob Sanchez, 21, of San Antonio. Salazar said the street value of the seized drugs is over $1.2 million. That's why Sorianello had a strong message to parents: pay attention to your kids. Jose Tabares, 53, of San Antonio The multiagency taskforce handling the case includes the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Texas attorney general's office and the Internal Revenue Service. Jesus Rodriguez aka Don Chuy, 62, of Rio Grande City; Jason Buch is a freelance journalist based in Texas. Thursday, March 18, 2021 Twelve Indicted for Drug Trafficking in San Antonio Area Twelve San Antonio residents face federal drug trafficking charges, announced U.S. Attorney Ashley C. Hoff and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent in Charge Daniel C. Comeaux, Houston Division. Murdaugh's family founded the areas most powerful law firm a century ago in neighboring Hampton County. Mark Anthony Ojeda, 33, of San Antonio; SAN ANTONIO - Six people are in custody following a drug bust in east Bexar County earlier this week, according to the Bexar County Sheriff's Office. Thanks to the excellent work of the DEA and our other law enforcement partners, our community is safer today, stated U.S. Attorney Sofer. And I could see the real Alex Murdaugh when he looked at me, Waters said. In 2008, Humberto Moreira named Gonzlez Trevio the state of Coahuila's spokesman in San Antonio, but it's unclear what duties he performed. She works in the immigration portion of GEO. Oscar Jesus Lopez, age 23 of Laredo; Some of the money came from inflated contracts, said First Assistant District Attorney Cliff Herberg. The head of south central Texas DEA shares new insight on the. Among the businessmen was a scowling Coronado, Villarreal's brother-in-law who was detained in East Texas, and Francisco Xavier Flores Valdez, a nephew of the Moreira brothers. As the investigation continued, several others were also arrested. BEXAR COUNTY (KTSA News) Six people were arrested in a drug bust at a southeast San Antonio home the Bexar County sheriff said has connections to a white supremacist group. Deputies searched a home Tuesday in the. LOUIS - A man from Texas and a woman from St. Louis were indicted Wednesday on drug conspiracy charges after multiple kilograms of suspected fentanyl and methamphetamine were found during a traffic stop on Interstate 44 in St. Louis County. All he did was blow snot," Moyer said. Over the past century, your family including you have been prosecuting people here in this courtroom, and many have received the death penalty, probably for lesser conduct, the judge said. The BCSOs Gang Unit and Organized Crime Unit handled the investigation of the drug bust. And, San Diego Pride Kicks off today. Albelardo Oviedo, age 29 of San Antonio. Those five defendants were already in custody. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Joe Angel Villarreal later was sentenced to 19 years in federal prison for leading a large cocaine-trafficking group. The DEA, FBI, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Texas Department of Public Safety, San Antonio Police Department, New Braunfels Police Department, University of Texas San Antonio Police Department, Gonzales Police Department, Comal County Sheriffs Office and the Guadalupe County Sheriffs Office conducted this Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation called Operation Brujas Blunder. USAA wants some remote employees in the office three days Texas Vista owner has threatened hospital shutdown before, VIA adding 8 new buses to its fleet and theyre all electric, BCSO: 3 arrested after 6 smuggled people, 3 stash houses found, Bexar County deputy reunites African tortoise with owners, Gunmen blast 75 rounds at Northwest Side apartment. This is a carousel. What's known is this: the Gonzlezes control a media empire in Mexico and in recent years extended their influence across the border. Jesus Manuel DeLuna aka "Chuy," 48, of San Antonio; Erik Jason Pena, 41, of San Antonio; and Omar Cuellar, 47, of San Antonio. Also among the defendants is Joe Angel Villarreal, 55. The massive drug bust took place during a traffic stop in San Clemente, a wealthy enclave about 75 miles inland from the U.S.-Mexico border in San Diego, multiple Border Patrol sources told Fox News. Now, said Herberg, the No. Moreira, the former leader of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, is close to Mexican President Enrique Pea Nieto. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The GEO Group built the facility and manages it under contract with Karnes County and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Copyright 2023 KSAT.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings. SAN ANTONIO - Twenty five men and women are in custody after authorities busted a drug distribution operation in the San Antonio area Thursday, according to officials. The Murdaugh case has attracted true crime fans from around the world with its threads of power, danger, money and privilege. Former Texas State Rep. Poncho Nevrez at AudioRec Productions, a recording studio in Piedras Negras, Mexico, Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022. Guillermo has also worked in Central America, Mexico, New Mexico, Arizona and California and his work has appeared in various publications, including the Los Angeles Times, New York Times, New York Post, Newsday, Denver Post and the Albuquerque Journal. The jury deliberated for less than three hours Thursday before finding Murdaugh guilty of killing his 22-year-old son with two shotgun blasts and his 52-year-old wife with four or five rifle shots. It was during this search that deputies said they arrested Jose Ovalle, 66, who had an active warrant for a charge of possession of a controlled substance, and Francisco Menchaca, 45, who had 2 kilograms of meth and 138 grams of cocaine, according to the sheriffs office. Murdaugh's brother and surviving son sat behind him in the courtroom every day. The prosecutors' deposition request included a list of people and entities they would be asking about, including the Moreira brothers, their nephew, a number of Villarreal's family members, Chaires, Humberto Moreira's former secretary, and Roberto Casimiro Gonzalez Trevio, the Coahuila cable magnate whose nephew was arrested in San Antonio and whose brother served as the state's spokesman here. Oscar Oviedo, age 26 of San Antonio; Frank Zepeda aka Pancho, 51, of San Antonio The voices of all three Murdaughs can be heard on the video, though Alex Murdaugh had insisted for 20 months that he hadn't been at the kennels that night. They whisked him to San Antonio, where prosecutors unsealed an indictment charging him with another count of money laundering. Copyright 2021 by KSAT - All rights reserved. UPDATE: Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar says they found $29 million worth of methamphetamine, in addition to $400,000 worth of black tar heroin in a conversion lab in the Northeast Side. By then, Villarreal disappeared. The most high-profile arrest of the money laundering investigation has been that of Villarreal, the former state treasurer. Waters said none of the victims of the crime members of Murdaughs family and the parents and relatives of his wife wished to speak on behalf of the prosecution before sentencing. Now he's found a new voice in recovery. Deputies seized four kilograms of heroin and two kilograms of cocaine in the home in addition to multiple firearms, thousands of dollars of cash and expensive clothing. AUSTIN, Texas Federal authorities arrested 21 people believed to be involved in drug trafficking on Thursday, according to the Department of Justice. The arrestsin San Antonio conclude a comprehensive investigation by DEA, along with our law enforcement partners, into the criminal activities of a drug trafficking organization, who were responsible for transporting and distributing methamphetamine and cocaine into our communities, said Daniel C. Comeaux, special agent in charge of the DEA office in Houston. The elder Villarreal was arrested in a DEA operation in which his daughter was shot and critically wounded by federal agents. BCSO says as deputies were approaching the residence, Mendez was getting in a vehicle to leave. Ed Rodriguez, a former IRS agent who is not involved in the case, said there could be perfectly legitimate reasons for businessmen to distance themselves from properties they own, including protection from lawsuits. This operation is part of an OCDETF Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. All other crimes require an officer to make the scene. He liked to stare me down as he would walk by me during this trial. We will continue to work closely with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners in order to enhance the quality of life for the citizens in the San Antonio region.. And it might not have been you. Villarreal's attorney said the majority owners in the Texas LLCs are not Villarreal's family members, but a Panamanian company, and that the San Antonio property was purchased with money from lenders in Mexico, not kickbacks. We look forward to taking a good hard look at the governments evidence.. Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. Copyright 2022 by KSAT - All rights reserved. Despite the tony digs, the raid looked like any other drug case. All the defendants, excepting Gutierrez, face between 10 years and life in federal prison upon conviction of conspiracy to possess a controlled substance with intent to distribute. Murdaugh didnt look at the sign as he was hustled into the courthouse with his head down. Again he was released on bond and within days Mexican federal prosecutors leveled a new round of charges against him tied to the alleged fraudulent loans, which they say approached $250 million. Coronado and Flores Valdez, the Moreiras' nephew, were in San Antonio responding to a request by Bexar County to depose representatives of the LLCs that Villarreal's family members manage.