Three charged in human smuggling investigation
San Marcos Police Department officials are praising the teamwork among its own officers and staff and those of neighboring law enforcement agencies, following an investigation that resulted in the arrests of three people.
All three have now been charged in connection to charges of kidnapping and the smuggling of undocumented immigrants.
On Sunday, Sept. 10, Hays County Jail Arrest Records showed that three males had been arrested in San Marcos by SMPD at approximately 4 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 7. In a press release, police explained that Mason Castillo, Robert Cruz and Jeremiah Villarreal were arrested on a variety of charges, including smuggling of persons, engaging in organized criminal activity, aggravated robbery, and aggravated kidnapping for ransom/reward.
The San Marcos Police Department stated that it was the sole law enforcement agency investigating these crimes.
The investigation began in August, when a group of immigrants was smuggled from Mexico to Austin and were kidnapped by force in transit to their destination.
“The investigation took about four weeks until sufficient probable cause was developed to issue arrest warrants on all three suspects and for the issuance of multiple search warrants,” said San Marcos Police Detective Casey Tennant.
The three men are accused of holding at least 10 undocumented immigrants until they paid them several thousand dollars in cash. The victims told detectives they were held at a home in San Marcos but didn’t know exactly where. After combing through video footage of a business in San Marcos and mapping out a radius that correlated with the time traveled to reach the home, detectives were able to determine where the victims were held.
Police stated that they were also able to identify the suspects through information provided by the victims, along with surveillance video and digital forensics from a cell phone.
According to police, it was later determined that both Castillo and Villarreal had a criminal history for the smuggling of persons.
During the early morning hours of Thursday, Sept. 7, SMPD officers served warrants at homes located on Academy Street, Hillyer Street and Lazy Lane.
Several law enforcement agencies helped SMPD conduct this operation safely, including the Hays County SWAT, Department of Public Safety SWAT, Bastrop County SWAT, New Braunfels SWAT and Texas State University Police.
“Due to the threat to the safety of the potential victims being held against their will and the multiple locations being searched, multiple SWAT teams were needed to execute the search warrants safely,” Detective Tennant said.
San Marcos Police Department Chief Stan Standridge thanked his team, calling their efforts an example of “incredible leadership during this investigation and for bringing an end to a group of people who were using gunfire to abduct and hold ransom many undocumented immigrants.”
University Police assisted due to the operation’s proximity to campus.
No victims were located on the day of apprehension, but evidence was found that corroborated the serious charges the defendants now face, the press release stated.
Investigators assured the community by way of social media posts and loudspeakers at the scene that the neighborhood is safe. However, SMPD officials suggested that if the public sees something that seems out of place, they should speak up and call the police.
SMPD’s non-emergency line is (512) 7532108. Any life-threatening crimes should be reported by calling 9-1-1.