AUSTIN, Texas — The San Marcos Police Department (SMPD) has arrested three men accused of kidnapping and smuggling a large number of undocumented immigrants.
SMPD arrested Mason Castillo, Robert Cruz and Jeremiah Villarreal and charged them with a variety of offenses, including smuggling of persons, engaging in organized criminal activity, aggravated robbery and aggravated kidnapping for ransom.
San Marcos police say they began investigating the incident in August. That's when police say a group of immigrants were smuggled from Mexico to Austin but were forcefully kidnapped while en route.
According to SMPD, Castillo, Cruz and Villarreal allegedly held at least 10 undocumented immigrants against their will until they paid them thousands of dollars in cash. The victims were able to contact detectives but were not able to give them an exact location.
PHOTOS: San Marcos police arrest 3 in connection with human smuggling investigation
Through investigation, detectives determined where the victims were being held and identified the suspects through descriptions provided by the victims. Detectives also determined that Castillo and Villarreal had prior criminal history of human smuggling.
On Sept. 7, SMPD officers served warrants at homes located on Academy Street, Hillyer Street and Lazy Lane and arrested the three men. Hays County SWAT, Department of Public Safety (DPS) SWAT, Bastrop County SWAT, New Braunfels SWAT and Texas State University Police all assisted in the arrests, with University Police assisting because two of the arrests were made close to the campus.
No victims were located during the arrests, but SMPD said evidence was found to justify the charges against the suspects.
SMPD said there is no ongoing threat to the public. The department encourages anyone who sees something out of the ordinary to speak up and contact police.