Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of California have filed 124 border-related cases this week. The charges include assault on a federal officer, bringing in aliens for financial gain, reentering the U.S. after deportation, and the importation of controlled substances.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California ranks as the fourth-busiest federal district due to the high volume of border-related crimes. This district covers San Diego and Imperial counties and contains a 140-mile border with Mexico, including the San Ysidro Port of Entry—the busiest land border crossing worldwide—linking San Diego with Tijuana.
The district prosecutes not only reactive border-related crimes but also proactive cases involving terrorism, organized crime, drugs, white-collar fraud, violent crime, cybercrime, human trafficking, and national security.
Among the arrests this week:
- On April 28, Jose Maria Murillo Estrada, a Mexican national, was charged with assault and reentry after deportation. "The assault happened after Murillo attempted to make entry into the United States from Mexico through the San Ysidro Port of Entry by running through vehicle primary lanes and was intercepted by officers."
- On April 27, Emma Alejandra Medina, a U.S. citizen, was charged with Attempted Bringing in Aliens for Financial Gain. "Medina was captain of a boat that was transporting eight undocumented immigrants on San Diego Bay."
- On April 26, Jorge Alexandro Tellez was charged with Importation of a Controlled Substance after he tried to cross the border with 286 pounds of methamphetamine concealed in various parts of his vehicle.
In other cases, several defendants with prior criminal records were convicted or sentenced this week for border-related crimes:
- Juan Morales-Lopez, a Mexican national, was sentenced to 30 months for reentering the U.S. illegally after deportation. "Morales-Lopez has 10 illegal entry felony convictions in total and has been removed from the United States a total of 35 times."
- Jose Ramon Ochoa-Monteverde was sentenced to 84 months for his role in a drug trafficking operation. "In one instance, Ochoa-Monteverde loaded a tractor-trailer with duffel bags containing 106.38 kilograms of methamphetamine at a truck stop in Brawley, CA."
- Alejandro Gutierrez-Aguilar received a 30-month sentence for illegal reentry into the U.S. after a prior conviction in 2014.
Federal law enforcement, under the Department’s Operation Take Back America, has focused on prosecuting immigration cases involving criminal activity by undocumented aliens and prioritizing investigations of drug, firearm, and human smugglers. These efforts include partnerships with Homeland Security Investigations, Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations, Customs and Border Protection, and various other agencies.
It is emphasized that indictments and criminal complaints are merely allegations, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.