51 illegal aliens locked in trailer among 235 new cases filed in relation to the Southern District’s continuing efforts to secure border

HOUSTON – A total of 235 more individuals have been charged in immigration and border security-related matters from Nov. 21-27, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

The filed cases include 17 people allegedly involved in human smuggling. Another 70 are charged with illegally entering the country, while 146 more face charges of felony reentry after prior removal. Most of those individuals have prior felonies such as narcotics, violent crime, immigration crimes and more. Other relevant cases charged this week relate to firearms and other immigration crime. 

One notable case involves Greibein Alexis Pinot-Duarte, a Honduran national who allegedly smuggled more than four dozen illegal aliens in a refrigerated tractor-trailer near Freer. According to the complaint, he appeared nervous, and a K-9 alerted to the rear doors. The charges allege a further inspection of the 55-degree trailer led to the discovery of 51 illegal aliens concealed in a cramped compartment beneath boxes of produce with limited means of escape. If convicted, Pinot-Duarte could receive up to 10 years in federal prison.

Criminal complaints also allege several illegal aliens unlawfully reentered the country without authorization. One is Christian Omar Amezquita-Munoz, a Mexican male found near Donna, according to charges. He allegedly has a prior conviction for possession with intent to distribute 14 kilograms of cocaine and was sentenced to 100 months in prison before his removal in 2022.

Authorities also allegedly found another Mexican male near Hidalgo this week. Oscar Enrique Govea-Acuna has a conviction for evading arrest with a vehicle and was subsequently removed in 2018, according to the charges.

Both of these men could receive up to 20 years in federal prison, upon conviction.

These and other cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations, ICE - Enforcement and Removal Operations, Border Patrol, Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, U.S. Marshals Service and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.

The cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

Under current leadership, public safety and a secure border are the top priorities for this district. Enhanced enforcement both at the border and in the interior of the district have yielded aliens engaged in unlawful activity or with serious criminal histories, including convictions for human trafficking, sexual assault and violence against children.  

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas remains one of the busiest in the nation. It represents 43 counties and more than nine million people covering 44,000 square miles. Assistant U.S. Attorneys from all seven divisions including Houston, Galveston, Victoria, Corpus Christi, Brownsville, McAllen and Laredo work directly with our law enforcement partners on the federal, state and local levels to prosecute the suspected offenders of these and other federal crimes.

An indictment or criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.