Six individuals have been charged in connection with a drug smuggling operation involving the transportation of liquid methamphetamine from Mexico to Emporia, Kansas. The charges were filed by criminal complaint.
The defendants are accused of possessing with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. They include Omar Villa Carranza, Tiburcio Ayala Rangel, Troy Wagaman, Jesus Cruz Rodriguez, Moises Cervantes Sanchez, and Elizabeth Benitez.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) observed a charter bus making multiple crossings from Mexico into the United States between March and April 2025. The bus carried few or no passengers and traveled to Emporia before returning to Mexico. During one crossing, CBP officers found tampered bolts around the fuel tank during a secondary inspection. Investigators identified the bus's destination as a rural property near Emporia.
On May 4, 2025, when the bus arrived at the U.S. border again, a canine detected controlled substances. A sample taken from the gas tank tested positive for liquid methamphetamine. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents followed the bus to its destination where arrests were made by the Emporia Police Department.
The investigation is being conducted by HSI, Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI), and the Emporia Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Trent Krug and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Taylor Hines are prosecuting this case.
This operation is part of "Operation Take Back America," an initiative aimed at combating illegal immigration and transnational criminal organizations through resources from various task forces within the Department of Justice.
"An indictment is merely an allegation," authorities remind, emphasizing that all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.