Joint Task Force-West Agents Arrest Previously Deported Drug Smuggler
(Press Release) EAGLE PASS, Texas – U.S. Border Patrol agents working in Eagle Pass arrested a known drug smuggler and aggravated felon who was previously deported from the United States.
“Border Patrol and the Joint Task Force – West have an extensive law enforcement network in place to seek out and apprehend criminals who threaten our public safety,” said Del Rio Sector Acting Chief Patrol Agent Matthew J. Hudak. “I applaud the hard work, collaboration, and ingenuity that went into the arrest of this criminal alien.”
Border Patrol and their law enforcement partners, while investigating narcotics trafficking, were able to confirm that Gustavo Tellez-Rodriguez, 43, was illegally living in Eagle Pass. Tellez-Rodriguez had been deported to Mexico in 2007 after he was arrested by the Drug Enforcement Administration and served a 42-month sentence for possession with intent to distribute bulk amounts of marijuana.
On Jan. 30, Border Patrol agents and their investigative partners located Tellez-Rodriguez in the Eagle Pass area and arrested him without incident. At the time of his arrest, Tellez-Rodriguez was carrying nearly two grams of cocaine.
The cocaine was seized and turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration. Tellez-Rodriguez was charged with illegal re-entry after deportation – 8 USC § 1326(a)(1) – and will face a lifetime ban from the U.S. due to his previous conviction as an aggravated felon.
The Del Rio Border Patrol Sector is part of the Joint Task Force-West South Texas Corridor, which leverages federal, state and local resources to combat transnational criminal organizations. To report suspicious activity call the Del Rio Sector’s toll free number at 1-866-511-8727.
