Officers from the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) discovered an alien smuggling operation in the small border town of Eagle Pass, where a hotel room was being used to conceal several illegal immigrants. Following a tip-off, officials conducted a search, resulting in the arrest of two suspected smugglers and four Honduran individuals living in the U.S. without authorization, one of whom was a wanted fugitive.
The incident took place shortly after midnight on May 29th. When officers arrived at the hotel, they encountered a female suspect and noticed a strong smell of marijuana, prompting a search of the room. Inside, they found another woman who was also allegedly involved in the smuggling operation.
DPS spokesman Lt. Chris Olivarez shared body camera footage on social media showing the officers entering the room, where they found four undocumented individuals hiding. Authorities identified two of the men as 21-year-old Joseph Angel Guzman and Daniel Castillo Dionisio, both Honduran nationals previously apprehended for illegally reentering the U.S. and prohibiting entry to foreign nationals, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
There are suspicions that the two men may have connections to the Rollin’ 30s Crips gang. An investigation into the backgrounds of those arrested revealed that Dionisio was wanted by the New Orleans Police Department for several felony charges, including armed robbery and aggravated assault.
Dionisio has been arrested and is now awaiting extradition to New Orleans on an active warrant. Meanwhile, Jewella Mone Brown, 27, from Grandview, Missouri, and Starr Ricky Drake, 26, from Euless, Texas, were also arrested on charges of operating a stash house and are currently held at Maverick County Jail awaiting state charges.
Joseph Angel Guzmán, along with two other undocumented immigrants, was transferred to Border Patrol custody for further processing, potential prosecution, and deportation. This operation is part of Operation Lone Star, a long-term border security initiative initiated by Texas Governor Greg Abbott.
The operation continues despite a noticeable decrease in the number of people crossing the border under President Trump’s stringent security measures. This has forced smugglers to adopt new tactics, like hiding illegal aliens in concealed locations and moving them through rugged areas to avoid detection by law enforcement.
The Texas DPS Highway Patrol is actively working to decrease the number of individuals eluding Border Patrol by patrolling less accessible highways, conducting foot and horseback chases, and utilizing intelligence from Operation Lone Star to pinpoint hiding spots.
Randy Clark, a 32-year veteran of the U.S. Border Patrol, previously served as Chief of Law Enforcement Operations, managing operations for nine border agents.
