|
Only have a minute? Listen instead
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
The La Joya Police Department arrested an Edinburg resident after he allegedly used his home to stash people who were illegally in the country, as well as drugs and firearms last week, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Jesus Eduardo Colunga, 19, was charged with engaging in organized criminal activity, smuggling of persons, evading arrest, possession of a controlled substance, and theft of a firearm, among other charges, after fleeing from police and eventually getting caught trying to cross back into the U.S.
The initial investigation occurred after a La Joya police officer conducted a traffic stop on a white Buick SUV near the 900 block of E. Expressway 83 on March 5. The officer found that the driver, later identified as 19-year-old Miguel Angel Orozco, 19, was trying to smuggle people, the affidavit said.
While Orozco, his girlfriend Daisy Marie Lopez and eight others were being arrested, the officer noticed Orozco’s phone was vibrating with a call from “El Wero JC,” so the officer took a photo of the call for evidence, according to the affidavit.
After speaking to those arrested, investigators determined Colunga was “El Wero JC” and generated a warrant for his arrest on April 6 for organized criminal activity, the document said.
Lopez, a Donna resident, was also charged that day with smuggling of persons and organized criminal activity. She was released two days later, on April 8, on a $75,000 bond.
That same day, authorities conducted surveillance at 4706 Haven Lane in Edinburg for a search and seizure warrant on the residence after they were informed that it was being used as a stash house for weapons, currency and undocumented people, according to the document.
At the residence, officers saw Colunga trying to drive into the property in a red Chevrolet Silverado, but he sped away when authorities tried to reach him. A chase ensued, but police lost sight of Colunga as he drove onto a dirt road, the affidavit said.
Investigators returned to the residence to prevent any evidence from being removed, which is where officers found two firearms, one of which was stolen, and a clear corner cut of a plastic baggie that contained cocaine, according to the document.
Almost a month later, on May 3, La Joya police received a phone call from officials at the Hidalgo-Reynosa International Bridge, who said they had caught Colunga after seeing an active arrest warrant when he tried to cross into the U.S., the affidavit said.
Colunga was subsequently taken to the La Joya Police Department, where he was booked and held on a total of $337,500 in bonds.
