WESLACO – Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) officers and U.S. Border Patrol agents together helped rescue seven people, including two pregnant women, from a suspected illegal alien smuggling stash house in Starr County, where they were allegedly being held against their will. A 32-year-old suspect at the residence has been charged with unlawful restraint, a state jail felony, in connection with the incident, which occurred early Sunday morning.
U.S. Border Patrol agents and DPS observed suspicious activity at the Roma-area residence near the Rio Grande River. The doors of the residence were padlocked, and the occupants were found in a small room with poor ventilation.
The suspect, Teodulo Villalobos Garcia of Roma, was transported and booked into the Starr County Jail. The suspect also faces an additional charge of felony possession of a controlled substance for a substance believed to be synthetic marijuana. The case remains under investigation, and no additional information is available at this time.
The four men and three women were released to U.S. Border Patrol. For any additional information on the rescued individuals, please contact the U.S. Border Patrol. (If you have additional questions for DPS, please contact Sgt. Johnny Hernandez at 956-607-2131.)
As a reminder, Texas Crime Stoppers will pay rewards up to $2,500 for information leading to the identification of stash houses used in transnational crimes.
To be eligible for the cash rewards, anyone with information on stash houses can provide anonymous tips in three different ways:
- Call the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-252-TIPS (8477).
- Submit a web tip by clicking the following link: Submit a Tip - Texas Stash House Rewards Program.
- Submit a Facebook tip by clicking the “SUBMIT A TIP” link (under the “About” section).
All tips are anonymous – regardless of how they are submitted.
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