A task force with Texas’ Operation Lone Star arrested multiple alleged human smugglers on Thursday following a year-long investigation into their organized crime operation.
Goliad County Sheriff Roy Boyd led a task force funded by Operation Lone Star to take down the second leg of a reported human smuggling ring that was discovered by investigators from his office, according to The Center Square.
Sheriff’s deputies from Goliad County and Jackson County, narcotics officers from the Kingsville Police Department, and U.S. Marshals arrested three women in total who were allegedly part of the human smuggling ring.
The first leg of the alleged operation involved cartel members smuggling foreign nationals into the border city of Roma in Starr County, where they would then be transported to Houston by various women involved in the ring, per The Center Square.
An investigation resulted in the arrests of 41-year-old Margarita Garcia, 34-year-old Jackqueline Munoz, and 34-year-old Christine Montelango, who are all charged with the continuous smuggling of persons.
Although three women were arrested for their alleged involvement, two more suspects remain at large with warrants out for their arrests.
Boyd wanted to send a message to those considering committing crimes in the area, saying that if “you commit a crime in Goliad County, with the funds provided by the governor through Operation Lone Star, we will hunt you down no matter where you are.”
“We will find you, and we will arrest you. And we will provide you with free transportation to, and housing in, our jail,” he added, per The Center Square.
These arrests were made as part of Operation Lone Star, which is a joint initiative by the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas National Guard to stop illegal crossing at the southern border while preventing the transportation of illicit drugs into the United States.
A recent update from the Office of Gov. Greg Abbott states that Operation Lone Star has resulted in over 42,900 criminal arrests and the seizure of more than 481 million lethal doses of the deadly drug fentanyl.