Federal agents disrupted a stash house in San Benito, arresting three U.S. citizens and apprehending several undocumented immigrants, according to a federal criminal complaint.
According to the criminal complaint, Joel Mejia, 33, of San Benito, and Victoria Ann Aguilar, 21, and Doris Nicole Gavidia, 22, both of Conroe, Texas, knew they were transporting and harboring undocumented immigrants for financial gain.
Aguilar and Gavidia appeared Friday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ronald G. Morgan who ordered they be held without bond. Their next court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 25.
Due to medical reasons, Mejia was not able to attend his hearing that was also scheduled for Friday, federal court documents reflect.
According to the Aug. 17, 2022, federal criminal complaint, U.S. Border Patrol agents were conducting a surveillance of a residence in San Benito that was suspected of helping smuggle undocumented immigrants.
The agents saw a vehicle arrive at the residence and take off a few minutes later. A Cameron County constable conducted a traffic stop on the car after noticing a traffic violation, the federal criminal complaint states.
The agents helped in identifying Aguilar and Gavidia, who were the driver and passenger, respectively, officials said. The agents were given permission to search the vehicle where they found “a person concealed in the cargo area of the vehicle,” the federal criminal complaint states. The person was identified as a Mexican national who did no have permission to be in the United States and the women were transporting him to Houston in exchange for payment, according to federal criminal complaint.
The federal criminal complaint states, that as the agents returned to the residence to “conduct a knock and talk,” they saw a Ford F-150 pickup truck leaving the home. A traffic stop was conducted on the truck for a traffic violation, officials said.
Mejia was identified as the driver and the backseat passenger was identified as Jose Angel Cuevas-Nevarez, 26, of Matamoros, officials said. According to the federal criminal complaint, Cuevas-Nevarez told the agents he, Mejia and another man identified as Jose Luis Blanco-Castillo, 25, also of Matamoros, were involved in smuggling undocumented immigrants and that there were more undocumented immigrants inside the residence.
Cuevas-Nevarez admitted that he and Blanco-Castillo were the caretakers of the undocumented immigrants and that Mejia helped by picking them up in Brownsville and transporting them to San Benito, the federal criminal complaint reads.
A further investigation and photo lineup revealed that Aguilar, Gavidia, Mejia, Cuevas-Nevarez, and Blanco Castillo were “attempting to transport and harbor undocumented” immigrants “at the target location located in San Benito, Texas for monetary gain,” the federal criminal complaint read.
