ICE's top 10 anti-gang achievements

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TOP STORY: ICE's top 10 anti-gang achievements

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) protects the United States by promoting homeland security and public safety through the criminal and civil enforcement of federal laws governing border control, customs, trade and immigration. To accomplish this mission, ICE coordinates with its federal, state, local and tribal partners to arrest and remove dangerous individuals during anti-gang operations and projects around the country.

Below are 10 of ICE's anti-gang achievements.

Operation Community Shield

ICE conducted its largest ever nationwide gang surge Oct. 1, 2008, during Operation Community Shield.
In the course of the ICE-led operation, 1,759 gang members and associates, criminals and immigration violators were arrested.
ICE announced March 1, 2011, the arrests of 678 gang members and associates from 133 different gangs during Project Southern Tempest, an intensive law enforcement operation executed in 168 U.S. cities targeting gangs affiliated with drug trafficking organizations.
During this operation the ICE arrested the 20,000th gang member since inception of the anti-gang program in 2005.

Project Nefarious

The goal of Project Nefarious was to identify, locate, arrest, prosecute and remove gang members and associates affiliated with human smuggling and trafficking organizations.
ICE announced April 25, 2012, the arrests of 637 gang members and associates from 168 different gangs during Project Nefarious. The operation was executed in 150 U.S. cities and Honduras targeting transnational street gangs, prison gangs and outlaw motorcycle gangs involved with human smuggling and trafficking organizations.

Project Big Freeze

Project Big Freeze was the largest nationwide ICE-led enforcement operation targeting transnational gangs with ties to drug trafficking organizations.
ICE announced Jan. 27, 2010, the arrests of 476 gang members, associates and other criminals.

Crystal Palace

Oct. 16 2012, the results of a long-term probe, which dismantled one of San Diego County's largest single-day weapons seizures, and drug and gun trafficking rings involving members of 13 different Southern California gangs, are announced. Special agents from ICE seized a cache of 60 weapons during the two-year investigation dubbed.
This case was unique because of the number and type of weapons seized. The items included Uzi submachine guns, AR-15 rifles, shotguns, high-powered rifles with optics and laser sighting systems, silencers and a law enforcement Taser.

Operation Barbed Wire

The U.S. Department of the Treasury with the assistance of ICE designated the Latin American gang Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) as a transnational criminal organization Oct. 11, 2012. MS-13 was the first transnational criminal street gang designated as a transnational criminal organization.
MS-13 was designated for its involvement in serious criminal activities, including drug trafficking, human smuggling and sex trafficking, murder and violence, racketeering, and immigration offenses. MS-13 is one of the most dangerous criminal gangs in the world today. MS-13 members have been responsible for numerous killings within the United States.

Operation Red Rein

The federal government indicted the majority of the 20th Street clique members of the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang Oct. 23, 2008.
Twenty-two individuals in the San Francisco Bay Area were indicted on federal racketeering and other charges arising from their participation in the MS-13.

Operation Devil Horns

When the federal government indicted the majority of the 20th Street clique members of the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang, Oct. 22, 2008, Danilo Velasquez, aka "Triste," assumed leadership.
Velasquez was sentenced to life in federal prison Feb. 15, 2012, on racketeering-related charges arising from Operation Devil Horns, a long-term probe led by ICE. Velasquez was described by a federal judge as a "vicious murderer."

Operation Red Tidings

Federal and local authorities announced the indictment May 3, 2012, of 19 members of a South San Francisco street gang on racketeering and other federal charges.
This indictment and the related arrests served as a warning to gangs about the consequences of using violence and fear to maintain control of their turf.
Three ICE special agents with were injured during the enforcement action. They were transported to a Bay area hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries. The indictment was the culmination of investigations originally initiated by the Daly City Police Department and the South San Francisco Police Department following separate shootings in those communities. The Daly City shooting occurred Dec. 18, 2010, and left three people injured. Four days later, a shooting in South San Francisco killed three individuals and wounded three others.

Rancho San Pedro Busts

More than 1,300 federal and local law enforcement officers fanned out April 28, 2011, across the Los Angeles harbor area to arrest 80 alleged members and associates of the Rancho San Pedro gang. The charges stem from a sweeping investigation involving more than a dozen federal, state and local agencies. During the course of the investigation, informants and undercover officers purchased 90 firearms along with significant quantities of cocaine, crack cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin and marijuana. During the takedown, officers seized an additional 14 firearms and a silencer.
The Los Angeles City Attorney's Office has filed a gang injunction and nuisance abatement actions against the gang. This is the first time a gang injunction and nuisance abatement lawsuits have been filed simultaneously in conjunction with the takedown of a major Southern California street gang.

Maryland Cocaine Trafficker Gets 10 Year Prison Sentence

Timothy Joseph Carr, 29, of Baltimore, was sentenced Thursday, January 3, 2013 to 10 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release by U.S. District Judge William D. Quarles Jr. for conspiring to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine.

The sentencing follows an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) with the assistance of the Louisiana State Police.

According to his guilty plea, on Nov. 10, 2011 Louisiana State Police seized approximately five kilograms of cocaine from a vehicle driven by co-defendant Daniel Bois in Louisiana, who was driving the cocaine from Texas to its Baltimore destination. After arresting Bois, law enforcement continued its investigation into the cocaine organization based in Baltimore and conducted a controlled delivery of the cocaine the following day. 

The cocaine was replaced with "sham cocaine" and delivered to 3501 8th Avenue in Baltimore, where co-defendants Timothy Dennison and Anthony Taylor accessed the vehicle where law enforcement had concealed the sham cocaine. Law enforcement arrested Dennison and Taylor.

Further investigation revealed that Carr had also driven, in a separate rental car from Bois, another load of five kilograms of cocaine back to Baltimore from McAllen, Texas, Nov. 10, 2011. According to travel records, Carr rented a car Nov. 7, 2011 after flying to McAllen from BWI Airport. Additionally, Carr and other members of the cocaine organization had made several trips between Baltimore and Texas in the past year to transport several additional kilograms of cocaine for distribution in the Baltimore area.

In all, Carr conspired to distribute between five and 15 kilograms of cocaine.

Timothy Lee Dennison, 22, Daniel Bois, 26 and Anthony Fraser Taylor, 29, all of Baltimore, and two other co-defendants pleaded guilty to their participation in the conspiracy. Dennison was sentenced to 15 years in prison and the other defendants remain to be sentenced.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brooke Carey and Christopher Romano.

Two Mexican Nationals Sentenced to Life for Narcotics Smuggling

Two Mexican men involved in separate narcotics smuggling conspiracies were sentenced to life in prison Wednesday, December 5, 2012, in North Carolina. Both investigations involved U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

According to filed documents and court proceedings, Alejandro Salinas Garcia, 31, led a conspiracy that lasted from 2002 to 2009, and involved the importation of more than 600 kilograms of cocaine, in excess of one kilogram of crack cocaine, approximately two kilograms of methamphetamine and more than 5,000 pounds of marijuana, primarily from Mexico through the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. Court filings indicate that Garcia was the leader of the conspiracy and the local source of supply for the drug trafficking organization.

Court records show that, among other things, Garcia used his co-defendants to distribute the narcotics and to enforce and collect debts from customers.

The investigation of Garcia's trafficking organization was conducted by HSI, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (NC SBI), the North Carolina Alcohol Enforcement Agency, the Hickory Police Department, the Catawba County Sheriff's Office, the Newton Police Department, the Iredell County Sheriff's Office and the Davie County Sheriff's Office.

Garcia was sentenced to life in prison by U.S. District Court Judge Richard L. Voorhees following his prosecution by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of North Carolina.

Cesar Sierro-Pineda, 34, of Mexico, was also sentenced to life in prison by Judge Voorhees for his role in a methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy. According to filed court documents and court proceedings, Sierro-Pineda, aka "El Chocado," was a distributor for the Mexican drug cartel La Familia Michoacana. From November 2010 through February 2011, Sierro-Pineda imported into the United States from Mexico near-pure crystal methamphetamine, also known as ice. The defendant also cooked the methamphetamine in an informal superlab in his home in Duluth, Ga., court records show. A superlab is a laboratory capable of producing 10 or more pounds of methamphetamine in a single production cycle.

Court filings indicate that on Nov. 8, 2010, Sierro-Pineda attempted to import approximately 6.5 kilograms of ice into the United States using a courier. U.S. authorities seized the methamphetamine at the International Port of Entry in Laredo, Texas. Sierro-Pineda continued selling methamphetamine to customers in other states, including North Carolina, court records show.

On Feb. 25, 2011, law enforcement raided Sierro-Pineda's superlab in Duluth, seizing five gallons of liquid methamphetamine in the process of being converted to crystal methamphetamine. That volume of liquid methamphetamine could be converted into 20 pounds of methamphetamine. During the investigation, law enforcement also seized more than two additional pounds of methamphetamine and 20 firearms.

The investigation was conducted by HSI, NC SBI, the Rowan County Sheriff's Office, the Wilkes County Sheriff's Office and the Iredell County Sheriff's Office.

Texas Attorney Arrested for Drug Trafficking Conspiracy and Money Laundering

A local attorney remains in federal custody following his arrest Friday, November 2, 2012, by special agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) regarding allegations of money laundering for a Mexican drug cartel.

Marco Antonio Delgado, 46, was arrested Nov. 2 at an El Paso restaurant. He is charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering.

An El Paso-area attorney, Delgado is named in a federal indictment charging that between July 2007 through December 2008, in the Western District of Texas, he conspired with other individuals to launder money believed to be drug trafficking proceeds.

According to the investigation, Delgado is linked to a drug cartel based in Guadalajara, Mexico, and accused of conspiring to launder more than $600 million.

Dennis A. Ulrich, special agent in charge of HSI El Paso, said: "Drug cartels operate solely on the basis of greed. However, when they can also corrupt trusted authorities, the integrity and stability of both countries' financial infrastructure may be at risk."

Delgado had his initial appearance in federal court Nov. 5. His preliminary and detention hearing was set for Nov. 8. If convicted, Delgado faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

This HSI investigation was coordinated by HSI El Paso's financial group and the HSI-led Southwest Border Financial Operations and Currency United Strike Force (FOCUS).

FOCUS was created to detect and target a wide variety of financial crimes in west Texas and the state of New Mexico. This multi-agency financial strike force includes the following agencies: HSI, Internal Revenue Service, Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Texas Alcohol and Beverage Commission. FOCUS works closely with the U.S. attorney's office, ICE's Office of the Principal Legal Advisor, and the U.S. Secret Service.

Each participating agency uses its unique law enforcement authorities to enhance the capabilities of the strike force. FOCUS investigates the following financial crimes: money laundering, mortgage and bank fraud, structuring, unlicensed money transmitting businesses/couriers, and bulk cash smuggling.

"Soccer Dad" Sentenced for Running International Cocaine and Marijuana Smuggling Ring

A Kirkland man was sentenced Friday, October 19, 2012, to 15 years in federal prison for his part in leading a transnational drug smuggling ring uncovered by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and member agencies of the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF).

Jacob Saul Stuart, 39, pleaded guilty in November 2011 to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and conspiracy to commit money laundering. DEA and HSI special agents, using court authorized wiretaps, determined Stuart's smuggling ring was transporting and distributing up to 2,000 pounds of marijuana and as much as 440 pounds of cocaine every month.

"This defendant tried to hide his international drug dealing while posing as a stay-at-home soccer dad," said U.S. Attorney Jenny A. Durkan. "His lust for drug money disregarded the harm he spread throughout communities in the U.S. and Canada, and enriched a violent criminal gang."

The operation involved smuggling marijuana into the U.S. from Canada, where it was distributed across the country to California, Illinois, Missouri, Georgia and New Jersey, among other locations. Proceeds from the marijuana sales were then used to purchase cocaine in Southern California. The cocaine was delivered to members of the outlaw motorcycle gang Hells Angels in British Columbia for distribution in Canada.

"Stuart and his partners created an elaborate drug distribution scheme that not only benefited them, but also a violent Canadian crime syndicate," said Brad Bench, special agent in charge of HSI Seattle. "HSI is dedicated to working with law enforcement partners to disrupt transnational criminal organizations and bring to justice those who torment our communities with their criminal activities."

One of the telephone calls recorded in the case captured the defendant discussing the purchase of guns, bats and chemical sprays for Canadian members of the criminal ring who were traveling to Washington state to investigate the theft of more than 220 pounds of their cocaine. What Stuart did not know was that the drugs had actually been intercepted and seized by law enforcement.

In their remarks to the court, prosecutors highlighted Stuart's knowledge of his violent criminal associates saying: "Stuart knew – and apparently did not care – that he was working with a large Canadian organized crime group that was willing to use violence to further its ends. These facts call for a very lengthy sentence."

Over the course of the investigation, officials seized more than $2 million and 300 pounds of cocaine; and more than 2,200 pounds of marijuana from locations across the country.

Twelve people in U.S. and Canada have been charged in the case. Five have already been sentenced to prison, they include: Michael Murphy, a pilot who transported drugs, 12 years in prison; Jacob Burdick, who stored and organized transportation of the drugs, 12 years in prison; John Washington, a drug distributor for the group, 11 years in prison; Mario Joseph Fenianos, a Canadian who obtained and smuggled cocaine for the ring, 13 years in prison; and Michael William Dubois, another Canadian associated with the cocaine side of the smuggling scheme, 10 years in prison.

This multijurisdictional case involved: DEA Seattle, Chicago, Las Vegas, Fresno, Los Angeles and New Jersey; HSI Seattle and Sacramento; U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Office of Air and Marine; the King County Sheriff's Office; the Seattle Police Department; the Washington State Patrol; the Snohomish Regional Drug Task Force; and the California Bureau Of Narcotics Enforcement.

The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Washington.

Cuban National Deported to Spain for Drug Trafficking

A Cuban national, wanted on drug trafficking charges in Spain, was deported and turned over to Spanish officials May 12. He was escorted to Madrid Airport by officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), and turned over to Spanish law enforcement authorities upon arrival.

Pedro Manuel Ortega-Fouz, 38, who also holds permanent residency in Spain, was wanted in Spain for drug trafficking in connection with an international drug trafficking ring. He was ordered removed from the U.S. in 2009.

"Ortega-Fouz's removal to Spain again demonstrates ERO's commitment to removing criminal aliens from the United States," said John Tsoukaris, field office director for ERO Newark. "ERO works closely with our local and international law enforcement partners to identify, locate and deport aliens who are wanted in their home countries."

Since Oct. 1, 2009, ERO has removed more than 335 foreign fugitives from the United States who were being sought in their native countries for serious crimes, including kidnapping, rape and murder. ERO works with ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Office of International Affairs, foreign consular offices in the United States, and Interpol to identify foreign fugitives illegally present in the country.

The removal was coordinated with HSI's Office of International Affairs, Consulate General of Spain, U.S. Department of Justice, ICE's Office of Congressional Relations and the U.S. National Central Bureau of Interpol.