More than 150 people were detained at the Nov. 16 operation, officials have said. But specifics, including charges, have been shared about just some of them.
SAN ANTONIO — The area of San Pedro and Basse was jolted when a massive law enforcement presence encompassing over a dozen agencies arrived early in the morning of Sunday, Nov. 16—eventually detaining more than 150 people in what federal officials said was an operation to disrupt a local Tren de Aragua criminal network.
Twenty-seven individuals taken away by law enforcement that morning, officials have since said, were found to be members of the Venezuelan gang.
But new records show the raid was the result of a state operation, not a federal one. According to an affidavit and search warrant obtained by KENS 5 from a government source, the bust was preceded by weeks of surveillance by the Texas Department of Public Safety.
The state agency, the records state, zeroed in on the property at 5959 San Pedro Ave. after receiving a tip in September that a Tren de Aragua member named Luis Amador Castillo-Hernandez was allegedly selling cocaine there during after-hours parties.
“The (tipster) stated to agents that known TdA members and associates attend these parties, sell narcotics and are in possession of firearms,” reads the affidavit submitted by a DPS special agent based in San Antonio.
DPS personnel began to surveil the property, described in the affidavit as a “mixed-used commercial property with food trailer vendors, auto repair services, and multiple metal building to include sheds and other metal warehouse-style buildings.”
On Sept. 20, state personnel watching the property found that people were starting to arrive around 12:30 a.m., “indicating the suspected place was used for after-hours parties,” the records state.
A week later, on Sept. 27, agents watching the property noticed someone acting as security and searching people entering the building. According to the affidavit, DPS took that to believe that some people were instructed to leave guns or drugs in their vehicles while “only directed individuals are permitted to bring in firearms and narcotics to sell.”
That same night, DPS agents, working with FBI and other law enforcement, arranged an undercover plan to buy drugs through the tipster. That person paid $150 to Castillo-Hernandez, the affidavit states, and got 1.7 grams of “white powdery substance” later confirmed to be cocaine after it was seized by the FBI. Another undercover purchase was conducted on Nov. 9 – just a week before the raid – and again the FBI got its hands on cocaine allegedly sold by Castillo-Hernandez.
On Nov. 15 – a day before the raid that ended with scores taken away in handcuffs – the tipster told DPS agents that Castillo-Hernandez was in possession of a gun while continuing to sell cocaine at the San Pedro location.
At that point, DPS submitted for a search warrant, which was signed off by a district judge at 12:32 a.m. on Nov. 16. Castillo-Hernandez is the sole person named in the warrant, which doesn’t indicate a connection between the more than 100 people arrested and alleged criminal activity.
Just a few hours later, the initial reports started coming in about law enforcement along San Pedro just north of Basse.
The aftermath
The first confirmed information by FBI San Antonio said only that the riad was “court-authorized activity.” On Monday, it was revealed that it involved the efforts of a newly established regional Homeland Security Task Force created to “combat transnational criminal organizations.”
Some lawmakers have praised the operation while others are demanding transparency days later. Immigration attorneys also discussed the legal complexities that arise when such a large number of people are detained.
Senator John Cornyn on X highlighted the “great work” undertaken by law enforcement involved in the raid, saying that those taken into custody “included convicted murderers, child predators, sex offenders & gang members.”
Days later, however, authorities have only publicly identified and shared details about allegations against some of the individuals detained. Federal records first identified two Honduran men who were accused of being in the U.S. illegally; neither was connected to gang activity.
On Wednesday night, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed that 27 Tren de Aragua members were among those arrested at the property, adding that cocaine, three firearms and about $35,000 in cash were also seized. Of those 27, two were investigation for human smuggling and money laundering, DHS added. One other person, DHS said, was under federal investigation for drug trafficking; it’s unknown if that person is Castillo-Hernandez.
Five Tren de Aragua members were identified by DHS; two others identified by the agency were previously convicted on aggravated assault and human smuggling charges, officials said.
Information about the names and conditions of more than 100 others officials said were detained at the scene hasn’t been shared.
A community organization, San Antonio Stands, said it was “appalled and outraged” at SAPD’s reported involvement in the raid. And Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones said in a statement Friday that her office was “continuing to seek answers regarding the raid… and specifically the status of individuals detained.”
“In addition, our office sent a letter to the head of the recently established regional Homeland Security Task Force requesting an update on activities to ensure we are meeting our mutual goals of maintaining both public safety and public trust,” Jones went on to say. “I look forward to receiving the answers our community rightly deserves. Transparency is the foundation of a safe community, and we must ensure that everyone receives due process.”