Zavala County Sheriff's Deputies led an operation in the county targeting online child predators. The department announced Thursday the arrest of nine suspects on various charges related to child pornography and solicitation of minors, all of which are federal felonies.
The arrest and execution of the search warrant was part of Operation Prez. The operation took place Wednesday in and around the county, located just 40 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border.
Zavala County deputies worked in conjunction with state and federal law enforcement partners, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the federal agency responsible for child exploitation investigations. During the execution of one search warrant, county resident Mario Zabala was arrested on suspicion of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm and delivery of a controlled substance to a minor.
Zavala County Sheriff's Office
Eight other suspects were arrested and charged with: Arrested were Herman Delgado Jr. (online solicitation of a minor and solicitation of prostitution of a minor), Marco Guerrero (possible possession of a controlled substance on unspecified other charges), and Gabino. – Gonzalez (possession of child pornography and delivery of a controlled substance). Rodolfo Espinosa (sexual assault of a minor and solicitation of prostitution of a minor). Dominic Mendoza, Gilberto Gonzalez and Ray Pecina were also arrested and charged with online solicitation of a minor. Gerardo Gomez Jr. is also charged with promoting or distributing child pornography and delivery of a controlled substance to a minor.
Breitbart Texas spoke with Chief Deputy Ricardo Rios of the Zavala County Sheriff's Office, who said the arrests are a testament to the hard work of investigators dedicated to making the community a safer place for children. He said it was a success. In addition to working with HSI and state law enforcement, Rios said they also conduct systematic investigations to root out child predators from the community. These research methods are kept confidential to ensure their effectiveness in bringing these predators out of the shadows, Rios said.
Zavala County Sheriff Eusebio E. Salinas Jr. said: Protecting our children is my top priority and I will do everything in my power to make sure that continues every day. ”
Agencies participating in this operation include the Zavala County Sheriff's Office, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Texas Department of Public Safety, and Zavala County Constable Precinct 1,293.rd Judicial District Attorney's Office, Crystal City Police Department, and Dimmit County Sheriff's Office.
randy clark He is a 32-year veteran of the U.S. Border Patrol. Prior to his retirement, he served as Division Chief of Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol stations within the Del Rio, Texas area. Follow him at X (formerly Twitter) @RandyClarkBBTX.
