Border Patrol says two men accused of operating a Donna stash house threatened to kill a man and his nephew who were being harbored at the residence where authorities discovered 29 people who were in the country illegally.
Victorino Alvarez-Marquez, a Mexican citizen born in 1976, and Jose Manuel Iraheta-Ramirez, a citizen of Honduras born in 1998, were charged with harboring people in the country illegally.
Border Patrol began investigating the residence last week after receiving information from a person in the country illegally who had been detained, according to a criminal complaint.
On Monday, Border Patrol conducted surveillance on the residence and saw people inside through a large window in the house and contacted Hidalgo County constables to conduct a knock-and-talk, according to the complaint.
Border Patrol said Alvarez opened the door and was asked about the numerous people inside the house before he granted authorities permission to search the residence.
In a statement, Alvarez told agents he had been living at the residence for about a month after the owner allowed him to stay there rent free while earning $500 a week to care for the people being harbored.
“Alvarez said he understood what he was doing was illegal and that he was the only caretaker,” the complaint stated. “Alvarez said the owner of the house would periodically transport undocumented non-citizens to the house and would give him extra money to purchase water and supplies for the house.”
Iraheta told Border Patrol he paid $12,000 to be smuggled and crossed the river on June 15 before being taken to the house where he was arrested, the charging document said.
“Iraheta claimed he was asleep when law enforcement knocked on the door and denies any involvement in smuggling activities, claiming he was transiting through towards his final destination,” the complaint read.
Two material witnesses in the case, who are citizens of Guatemala, however, told Border Patrol that Irahete and Alvarez were both caretakers and that both men had threatened their lives, according to the complaint.
The two witnesses are related, an uncle and nephew.
“(The nephew) stated that both men threatened him and his uncle … by saying that they were in charge and could make them disappear,” the complaint stated.
The uncle told Border Patrol the same story.
“One of them transported him to the residence and provided them with food. The other, threatened to call someone to have him killed after they got into an altercation,” the complaint stated.
The material witnesses also picked Alvarez and Iraheta out of a photo line-up and identified them as caretakers.
Both men were scheduled to make first appearances Wednesday in front of a federal magistrate judge.
