What started as a routine surveillance operation on April 20 ended with federal agents swarming an El Paso home that prosecutors now say was operating as a stash house, netting a dozen arrests and the discovery of three juveniles inside.
Authorities say U.S. Border Patrol agents and partner agencies found 10 adults and three juveniles in the residence, along with ledgers, dozens of cell phones, U.S. currency, and multiple firearms. Two people were detained at the scene and later charged in federal court with alleged alien smuggling offenses, according to prosecutors.
How the raid unfolded
According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas, Border Patrol agents had the Bon Aire Drive residence under watch when two people left the home. Agents followed, detained the pair, and then returned with other agencies to execute a federal search warrant at the house.
Court filings identify the two as Edith Marie Dominguez, a U.S. citizen, and Gregory Jose Daniel Martinez-Tovar, a Venezuelan national. Both were arrested and charged with one count of alien smuggling. The press release says Dominguez allegedly admitted to working with a smuggler to move people within the El Paso area and to Albuquerque in an effort to steer them around checkpoints, as per the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Stash houses remain a regional problem
Border authorities say stash houses are a familiar feature of smuggling operations along the border, providing temporary cover for people being moved through the region…