December 21, 2007

ICE seizes 5 ½ tons of marijuana that may have belonged to a Juarez drug cartel
The pot was to be distributed in Chicago and New York where its street value would be $8 million

EL PASO, Texas - U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) special agents here on Wednesday seized 10,907 lbs. (almost 5½ tons) of marijuana discovered in a vehicle and a warehouse. The warehouse may have been a major stash house for a Juarez drug cartel.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Strike Force and El Paso County Sheriff's Department assisted ICE with this investigation, which resulted in the multi-million dollar drug seizure and four arrests.

Humberto Hernandez Jr., 20, a U.S. citizen; Aaron Marquez-Banderas, 25, a Mexican national pending approval of his U.S. permanent resident application; and Heber Martinez-Garcia, 20, and Jorge Trejo-Torres, 43, both border-crossing card holders, are charged with possession with intent to distribute marijuana, and conspiracy to possess and distribute marijuana. If convicted, they face a maximum sentence of life in prison.

ICE special agents on Wednesday served a criminal search warrant at a warehouse in the 1300 block of Quail Spring in Horizon City, Texas, where they discovered 4,333 bundles of marijuana wrapped in black tape, which weighed 9,447 lbs.

Earlier in the day, ICE special agents and sheriff's deputies arrested Hernandez after they discovered 1,460 lbs. of marijuana in 413 bundles in the vehicle he was driving. Special agents arrested Marquez-Banderas, Martinez-Garcia and Trejo-Torres later in the day, and seized three passenger vehicles, three tractor rigs, and seven trailers.

The investigation revealed the marijuana was scheduled to be shipped to cities such as Chicago and New York, where it would have had a street value of about $8 million.

"ICE took down a cartel's main stash house," said David F. Fry, acting special agent in charge for ICE's Office of Investigations in El Paso. "This was a significant seizure that dealt a strong blow to a major criminal enterprise. This investigation is an excellent example of teamwork among federal and local agencies. We will not stand by as criminal organizations attempt to poison the United States with illicit drugs."

-- ICE --

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was established in March 2003 as the largest investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security. ICE is comprised of five integrated divisions that form a 21st century law enforcement agency with broad responsibilities for a number of key homeland security priorities.

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