Skip to main content

An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

  • Archived Content
    In an effort to keep CBP.gov current, the archive contains content from a previous administration or is otherwise outdated.
  1. Home
  2. Newsroom
  3. Local Media Release
  4. Agents Foil Smuggling Attempt, Arrest Gang Member

Agents Foil Smuggling Attempt, Arrest Gang Member

Release Date
Tue, 04/24/2018

TUCSON, Ariz. –Willcox Station Border Patrol agents arrested a 41-year-old Douglas woman and four undocumented men, one identified as a felon, Sunday afternoon.

Agents patrolling State Route 80 stopped a vehicle to conduct an immigration inspection and identified four male passengers as Mexican nationals illegally present in the country.

Photo Courtesy of U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Photo Courtesy of U.S. Customs
and Border Protection

Agents arrested the driver, along with the four men, ages 21 through 33, and seized the vehicle.

During processing, agents conducted record checks on the Mexican nationals and discovered each man had previous immigration violations. Agents also identified one the men as 21 year-old Pedro Mayo-Gatica, a confirmed member of the Locotes street gang who was deported earlier in the year following several felony convictions in California for sexual misconduct with a minor, as well as firearms charges and gang activities.

The Douglas woman will remain in custody pending disposition on human smuggling charges. The illegal aliens in the vehicle will be presented in federal court for immigration violations.

Mayo will also be presented for immigration violation proceedings and could face additional charges as a previously-deported felon.

All persons apprehended by the Border Patrol undergo criminal history checks using biometrics to ensure illegal immigrants with criminal histories are positively identified.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.

Last Modified: Feb 03, 2021