Texas Department of Public Safety troopers arrested a Gulf Cartel member in Starr County this week during Operation Lone Star.
The arrest stemmed from a joint operation with the United States Border Patrol. A DPS trooper tried to stop a silver Chevy Blazer for a traffic violation on U.S. 83 in Rio Grande City on Tuesday, February 24, just after 4:30 p.m.
The driver refused to yield, sparking a high-speed pursuit.
The driver and three passengers eventually abandoned the vehicle and fled toward the rear of a nearby residence. Troopers quickly apprehended all four, identifying the passengers as three illegal aliens.
The pursuit and arrest can be seen on DPS dashcam and bodycam footage.
The driver, 24-year-old Juan Gonzalez of Rio Grande City, faces three counts of smuggling of persons and evading arrest, as reported by DPS.
The three illegal aliens, from El Salvador and Mexico, were transferred into the custody of Border Patrol.
DPS Criminal Investigations Division and Border Patrol investigators later confirmed Gonzalez’s membership in the Gulf Cartel, with ties to operations in Miguel Aleman, Tamaulipas, Mexico, according to a press release.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas filed federal charges, and authorities transferred Gonzalez to federal custody.
