A city commissioner from the Texas border city of McAllen is facing federal money laundering and smuggling charges in connection with his used clothing business. As part of the operation, authorities also arrested his wife. Law enforcement agents carried out various raids at used clothing warehouses throughout the city, where agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement also arrested several migrants.
On Friday, McAllen City Commissioner Rodolfo “Rudy” Castillo went before a U.S. magistrate judge who formally notified him of the charges against him and set his bond at $100,000. Castillo’s wife, Bertha, also went before the same judge for similar charges and had her bond set at $75,000.
The incident began in August, when a federal informant called Castillo to discuss the purchase and smuggling of used clothing while agents with ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) recorded the call, a criminal complaint filed in the case revealed. During the call, Castillo reportedly stated that he avoids reporting requirements for exporting goods to Mexico and that he would circumvent them by bribing Mexican federal police forces.
Castillo claimed to have paid 20,000 pesos, or approximately $1,000 (USD), to ensure his shipments avoided problems with the Mexican police. If the items are stopped and seized, Castillo claimed to refund his customers 50 percent of the value of the seized goods.
In Mexico, the importation and sale of used clothing are restricted, and obtaining permits is challenging legally. For years, used clothing businesses would operate under the radar by paying off corrupt law enforcement officials and, at times, work directly with local drug cartels to be able to move their goods.
According to federal authorities, an undercover agent with HSI then called Bertha to arrange the sale of used clothing, the cash payment for the items, and the transportation of the goods into Mexico. The two agreed to meet at the Castillo’s business Oro Ropa Usada (Used Clothing), where the agent handed over more than $20,700 for a shipment of clothing.
On September 2, authorities stopped a tractor-trailer that had picked up used clothing at Oro Ropa Usada as it headed to the Mexican border city of Reynosa through the Pharr port of entry. During a search of the vehicle, authorities found used clothing, motor oil, and food items. The import documents were not properly filed, the criminal complaint revealed. Other searches by federal authorities resulted in the seizure of 57 bales of clothing, over 300 containers of motor oil, and more than 200 boxes of food.
On Thursday, federal agents raided Oro Ropa Usada and Castillo’s home. During the raid, federal agents detained several migrants who were in the country illegally or did not have work permits. These illegal aliens reportedly worked at the business.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart News Foundation. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at [email protected].
Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at [email protected].
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