21 Suspects with Alleged Gang Ties Arrested in El Paso in Connection with Gun and Drug Trafficking

Twenty-one suspects with gang ties were arrested Thursday in a local, state and federal operation led by the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration, officials said at a news conference in El Paso.

“Earlier today, our law enforcement partners worked together to execute a criminal street robbery in El Paso,” said Jaime Esparza, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas.

“We are working hard to rid our communities of violent crime, drugs and illegal firearms,” ​​Esparza said. “This operation was led by the FBI and DEA. Agents and officers today arrested 21 individuals suspected of serious drug and firearms offenses related to a local gang known as Chuco Tango. The Chuco Tango gang is involved in multiple forms of criminal activity, firearms offenses, including possession of machine gun conversion devices. You may often hear them referred to as switches, but they are also involved in drug trafficking, including meth, cocaine, fentanyl and heroin, as well as human trafficking and kidnapping.

“The individuals arrested today were charged here in El Paso, the Western District (of Texas) and in El Paso County with a combination of statutes involving possession with intent to distribute cocaine, methamphetamine and fentanyl,” Esparza said.

He added, “If I may just say how serious we are about combating the sale and distribution of fentanyl. Fentanyl is a real problem in this community, just as it is throughout the state and the country. Protecting our communities and our loved ones from this dangerous drug and toxin that is fentanyl is a priority for the Department of Justice.”

Esparza said the news conference was his first as prosecutor in his hometown of El Paso, where he previously served as a district attorney.

“With respect to the charges against those arrested today,” he said, “several have been charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. Some of these defendants, if convicted, will face up to 20 years in prison or five to 40 years in prison. Some will face 10 years to life in prison. Others will serve a minimum of 15 years in prison.”

Esparza and other law enforcement officials stressed the need for cooperation to combat crime.

“This operation began in November of last year and spans the entire city of El Paso and beyond,” said Esparza, who noted that “our law enforcement partnerships extend well beyond El Paso.”

He acknowledged assistance from Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Border Patrol, the Socorro and Horizon City police departments, the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office, local law enforcement officials, the Ysleta del Sur Tribal Police Division, the Texas Department of Public Safety, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Esparza said an unrelated case led by Homeland Security Investigations that resulted in the arrest of 15 gang-related suspects in Uvalde was also an example of successful law enforcement cooperation.

FBI Successes in Multi-Agency Operation Rock Water

Britton Boyd, FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge for El Paso, said, “I am proud to stand here today with my partners to announce the results of Operation Rock Water, a major, multi-agency drug trafficking investigation.

“This morning, the FBI, along with our law enforcement partners, represented by my colleagues here today, successfully executed 18 arrests and three search warrants in the El Paso and Las Cruces areas, specifically in El Paso, Horizon City, the City of Socorro, Anthony, New Mexico, and Las Cruces.

Boyd said: “A total of 19 defendants have been charged by the FBI with a range of federal crimes, including possession and distribution of fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine, unlawful possession of a firearm, aiding and abetting and conspiracy. At this time, one fugitive, Carlos Flores, remains at large.”

He added: “It is important to note that many of these federal subjects also have pending state and federal charges.”

Boyd said, “Approximately 200 federal law enforcement officers and personnel safely and successfully executed search and arrest warrants today. A significant number of these arrests were made by SWAT teams from the FBI field offices in El Paso, Albuquerque, Phoenix, Las Vegas and San Diego.”

He said, “Today, the FBI’s criminal focus is on the overall leadership of gangs and criminal enterprises that fuel violence in American communities. Our country is making progress in the fight against violent crime, but it remains a concern for many of our communities. So know this: We in the law enforcement community cannot and will not rest in keeping our communities safe.”

Britton said, “Four years ago, the FBI and our partners at the Texas Anti-Gang Center, the TAG, Operation Rock Water and an OCDETF (Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force) launched an investigation targeting Chuco Tango gang members who are violent criminals, trafficking dangerous drugs, poisoning the streets of El Paso and beyond. The gang has been involved in drug trafficking, numerous murders, assaults, robberies and general street violence.

Arrest, deportation of Artistas Asesinos gang member ‘La Chely’

“Many of the individuals charged today face significant federal penalties. To date, the FBI portion of Operation Rock Water has resulted in 44 federal and state arrests, 65 drug seizures including cocaine, fentanyl, heroin and methamphetamine, 45 search warrants, 21 firearms seizures, the recovery of military-grade explosives, and the recent arrest of Artistas Asesinos gang member Michelle Angelica Pineda “La Chely,” who was deported to Mexico.

In a Feb. 16, 2024, press release, FBI El Paso reported that agents with the FBI El Paso Safe Streets Gang Task Force and the U.S. Border Patrol located and arrested her at a motel in El Paso. The Mexican national was wanted by Mexican authorities for her alleged involvement in five murders and possibly several others in Juárez, the press release said.

The press release states that on February 15, 2024, members of the FBI Safe Streets Gang Task Force, the El Paso Police Department Gang Unit, the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Division, and the U.S. Border Patrol learned through an investigation that Pineda had illegally entered the U.S. and was running a drug trafficking network for the Artistas Asesinos gang, which is based in Mexico.

The press release states that she is known for her extreme cruelty, allegedly dismembering bodies, removing hearts and placing the hearts in front of Santa Muerte altars and statues.

Boyd said the goal of the investigation that led to Thursday’s arrests “is to have an impact on violent crime in El Paso.”

“While each agency here has its own roles, priorities and responsibilities, combating violent crime is a responsibility we all share.”

DEA Takes Action Against Fentanyl, Defeats Mexican Cartels

DEA Special Agent in Charge for the El Paso Division Towanda Thorne-James said, “This joint investigation targeted gang members and drug dealers who were selling fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine and illegal firearms on the streets of El Paso. The culmination of this law enforcement effort resulted in multi-count federal indictments in the Western District of Texas against multiple members and associates of this gang.”

She said the DEA had filed federal charges against eight of the suspects.

“DEA will continue to leverage our partnerships to identify, disrupt, and dismantle criminal drug networks operating in El Paso, West Texas, New Mexico, and across the country. And we will continue to use all of our law enforcement and intelligence resources to target and hold accountable those who cause the most harm,” she said.

“To date, the DEA portion of Operation Rock Water has resulted in two search warrants leading to six federal arrests, plus three additional arrests today on unrelated state charges, 16 drug seizures,” including methamphetamine, cocaine, fentanyl and “THC cannabis-marijuana contraband.”

“In addition, five firearms have been seized and there are three fugitives still at large,” she said.

Thorne-James said: “Fentanyl remains the deadliest drug in our country. Nearly all fentanyl in the United States, including El Paso, comes from Mexico. Most of it is trafficked by the Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels.

“DEA’s highest operational priority is to defeat the Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels, the two drug cartels responsible for the vast majority of the fentanyl and methamphetamine that kills Americans. Today’s arrest brings us one step closer to that goal.”

According to El Paso County District Attorney Bill Hicks, several more arrests are planned.

“They are all drug related, with one felon in possession,” he said. “All of these charges will be diligently pursued in our office. I look forward to continuing our partnership with our federal partners and continuing the collaboration that we have with the U.S. Attorney’s Office. This partnership and these operations involving both state and federal law enforcement officers help make El Paso one of our safest cities.”

List of suspects charged in the Chuco Tango case

The U.S. Department of Justice said the suspects have been charged in federal court with various charges, including conspiracy to possess a controlled substance with intent to distribute, possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute and possession of a firearm by a felon. The Chuco portion of the gang’s name is derived from El Paso’s nickname, Chuco Town.

• Clarissa Inez Santana
• Daniel Baeza, also known as ‘raccoon’
• Hector Chamorro
• Angel Renee Corral, also known as “Happy”
• Antonio “Omar” Gamboa
• Robert Gurrola, also known as “Bobby Barker” and “Bobby Baker”
• Ricardo Moreno
• Andrew Solorio, aka “Tokes”
• Adam Vázquez
• Brandon Garcia
• Jacqueline Perez
• Aileen Gonzalez
• By Sambrano
• Thomas Payan
• Steven Kuehn
• Cassandra Page Silva
• Tanya Campechano
• Alejandro Morrill
• Zoilo Romero
• Alexander Rangel
• Zulema Marin

Officials said the four fugitives still at large following Thursday’s operation are Carlos Flores, Jessica Rodarte, Jonathan Blanco and Adriel Belmont. To submit a tip to the DEA, call 915-832-6000 or visit https://www.dea.gov/submit-tip. Tips can also be submitted to the FBI at 915-832-5000.