Two individuals featured on the Texas Department of Public Safety’s “10 Most Wanted Criminal Illegal Immigrant List” have been apprehended.
On June 6, the authorities released a list aimed at raising awareness and aiding law enforcement in locating repeat offenders who are in the United States illegally and are fugitives wanted for allegedly committing dangerous crimes in Texas. The Department of Public Safety (DPS) conducted the initial investigations that led to the first two arrests, with no input from the public.
DPS officers wasted no time in apprehending the No. 3 most wanted criminal on the list within 24 hours of its launch. Servando Trejo Duran, Jr., a convicted murderer and Mexican national who was residing in the country illegally, was taken into custody.
In Baytown, Texas, law enforcement officials successfully apprehended a 62-year-old individual. The Texas Anti-Gang Center, comprised of DPS Special Agents and Troopers, utilized investigative information to locate and arrest the suspect. The Baytown Police Department’s Special Investigations Division played a vital role in this multi-agency fugitive investigation.
Back in 1980, Duran found himself in trouble with the law for breaking into a home. Baytown Police officers arrested him and he was put on 10 years’ probation. However, this didn’t deter him from committing further crimes. In 1986, he was arrested once again, this time for homicide. He was charged, prosecuted, and ultimately convicted in Harris County. As a result, he was sentenced to life imprisonment. After serving his time, Duran was released on parole in 2009, but he didn’t stay out of trouble for long. Eventually, he was deported to Mexico.
He entered the U.S. illegally at some point, but the specific date, time, and location remain unknown. Additionally, he has used various aliases. In February 2023, law enforcement arrested him for tampering with a government record, and he was released on bond. However, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles issued a warrant for his arrest the following month for violating his parole related to the original murder charge involving a deadly weapon. He remained on the run for a year until he was caught after the launch of the wanted list.
DPS Criminal Investigations Division special agents successfully apprehended Victor Hugo Chox Gonzalez, a 38-year-old Mexican national who was listed as the No. 1 most wanted criminal. He was found in Fort Worth through investigative information, despite being in the United States illegally. The arrest was made on June 13 and marks a significant success for DPS.
Chox Gonzalez was found guilty of driving while intoxicated with a child under 15 years of age and causing bodily injury to a family member in Tarrant County in April 2016. As a consequence, he was deported from the United States in August of the same year. However, it was discovered that he re-entered the country illegally at an undisclosed time and location, using various aliases.
He faced arrest once more in Tarrant County in 2021 for assault and providing fake or false information when asked for identification. However, he managed to secure his release from jail on bail. Following this, warrants were issued against him for failing to identify as a fugitive and providing false or fictitious information since October 2021. Later, in January 2023, the Arlington Police Department issued warrants for his arrest on charges of aggravated sexual assault of a child and indecency with a child by sexual contact. It was only 18 months after the launch of the list that he was finally apprehended.
In collaboration with Texas Crime Stoppers, DPS has released a list of Hispanic males who are residing in the country illegally. The agency is also offering cash rewards to individuals who provide information that leads to the arrest of anyone on the list.
According to Steve McCraw, the Director of DPS, criminals who enter the United States illegally and commit crimes in Texas pose a significant threat to public safety. He added that the individuals on Texas’ 10 Most Wanted Criminal Illegal Immigrants List have a high probability of committing more crimes. Therefore, DPS is seeking the public’s help in capturing these offenders before they cause further harm.
According to DPS, the fugitives should not be apprehended by Texans as they are considered to be armed and dangerous.
If you want to receive cash rewards, you need to provide authorities with information by contacting Crime Stoppers’ hotline at 1-800-252-TIPS (8477). You can also submit a tip through the DPS website or the 10 Most Wanted Facebook tip page. It is important to note that all tips are anonymous, regardless of how they are submitted.
Information that can lead to the arrest of Luis Perez Mendoza, Francisco Alexis Ventura, and Omar David Zavala, who are among the top five on the list, will be rewarded with up to $5,000.
Up to $3,000 is up for grabs for anyone who can provide information that leads to the capture of the five individuals on the list: Alexander Berrios Ulloa, Salvador Cortez Vasquez, Jorge Dionicio Hernandez, Oscar Oswaldo Madrid Cartagena, and Gilberto Castro Zubiate.
The list comprises a mugshot of every man and their details, including their height, weight, and date of birth. Furthermore, it provides the last known addresses of each individual, namely Conroe, Irving, Spring, Austin, Cleveland, Houston, Marshall, and El Paso, respectively.
These individuals are sought after for committing violent offenses and are deemed as armed and perilous.