California gang member arrested near Lordsburg, New Mexico, charged with human trafficking
Bethany Brunelle-Raja
LORDSBURG — A member of the Sureños Street Gang from California and his cousin were arrested in New Mexico earlier this month, on suspicion of trying to smuggle people into the country.
According to federal court documents, Luis Antonio Chavez, 33, and Emmanuel Pizano, 31, were arrested July 17 in Lordsburg and each are charged with one felony count of smuggling illegal aliens.
Chavez and Pizano allegedly told Border Patrol agents they had met a group of Mexican nationals at a gas station who asked for a ride. The Mexican nationals who talked to agents, however, said Chavez and Pizano were part of a scheme to smuggle them into the United States.
During the interview with agents, Chavez informed them he was a member of the Sureños Street Gang from California.
Multiple people in the backseat
About 6 p.m. July 17, Border Patrol agents stopped a speeding silver Chrysler sedan near Lordsburg, in southwest New Mexico.
The agent who approached the vehicle said the windows were so tinted he couldn't see inside. But when the driver rolled down his window, the agent said he noticed five people in the backseat — four on the seat, and one on sitting on the floor.
Pizano, who was driving, said he and his cousin were headed to California to help Chavez's mother. While at a gas station, Pizano said, they were approached by a group of men saying they'd pay for a ride to Tucson, Arizona. Pizano said he and his cousin agreed to help.
Chavez's statement matched Pizano's, except Chavez allegedly told the agents they were dropping off their passengers in Lordsburg.
The passengers had a different story.
Stay informed. Sign up for a subscription to the Sun-News.
Crossing the border
None of the passengers in the backseat were United States citizens, court documents state.
During an interview with officials, one of the passengers in the vehicle said he left his hometown of Guanajuato, Mexico, on July 13, and made smuggling arrangements with someone he didn't know in Juárez.
The passenger told authorities that he was placed in a stash house in Juárez until July 16, when he and four other people were transported west. They were dropped off in Mexico and told to walk straight toward a road in the United States, he told agents.
The passenger told authorities they jumped an X-shaped fence and walked two hours until they reached the highway.
That's where Pizano and Chavez allegedly picked up the group up in the Chrysler.
Another passenger, from Toluca, Mexico, said he was in the stash house in Juárez for six days.
The first passenger told authorities he was to pay smugglers $5,000 once he arrived at his destination, while the other passenger stated he paid a $500 deposit and promised $7,000 more when he reached his destination.
Bethany Freudenthal can be reached at bfreudenthal@lcsun-news.com, 575-541-5449 or @bethanyfreuden1 on Twitter.