Texas state troopers arrested an MS-13 gang member and two alleged human smugglers during a traffic stop Wednesday morning in Val Verde County.
The arrest highlights ongoing border security challenges as convicted gang members repeatedly attempt illegal re-entry into the United States.
A Department of Public Safety trooper pulled over a maroon Ford Taurus on U.S. 277 just after 9:30 a.m. The driver was identified as Kieuncey Worth, 24, of Rockwall, Texas.
Officers discovered three illegal aliens hidden in the back seat during a search. Among them was Walter Alexander Zavala Amaya, who had fled from troopers just one day earlier.
Zavala Amaya dropped an El Salvadoran ID card during his previous escape attempt. Border Patrol agents and the Threat Screening Center confirmed his MS-13 affiliation.
Worth and his passenger, Coy Ford, 23, of Wichita Falls, were charged with “smuggling of persons,” the official charge for human smuggling. Both men were booked into Val Verde County Jail.
The three illegal aliens were transferred to U.S. Border Patrol custody. Two were Mexican nationals, while Zavala Amaya hailed from El Salvador.
Investigators discovered Zavala Amaya had fled back to Mexico after escaping troopers on August 19. He then illegally re-entered Texas seeking smuggling assistance.
Federal records show a pattern of illegal entries and deportations. Immigration and Customs Enforcement first arrested and deported Zavala Amaya to El Salvador in May 2016.
He returned illegally and was arrested again on July 11, 2025, by ICE’s Baltimore Field Office. Officials removed him from the country just two days later on July 13.
The arrest occurred as part of Operation Lone Star, Texas’s border security initiative. Watch the video of the apprehension below: