McALLEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — U.S. Customs and Border Protection arrested six musicians and a bus driver Monday after catching them with more than 200 pounds of cocaine.
The musicians attempted to cross the Hidalgo-Reynosa International Bridge in a white Volvo bus, according to a criminal complaint filed against them.
Officers sent the bus to secondary inspection, where an X-ray revealed “an anomaly” in the gas tank. During a search, they discovered about 80 packages of cocaine.
Agents with Homeland Security Investigations, which is part of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, questioned the bus driver.
The driver, Pedro Edgar Jauregui-Ortiz, said his passengers were part of a band. Jauregui said they frequently traveled from Monterrey, Mexico, to Houston.
His story, however, didn’t add up. When pressed, Jauregui admitted he was smuggling drugs.
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Jauregui “also stated that the passengers, posing as musicians who were to perform or record in Houston, was a ‘cover’ to conceal the smuggling attempt,” according to the criminal complaint.
When they arrived in Houston, he would park the bus at a hotel. Someone would pick up the bus and call Jauregui “to return back to Mexico,” according to the criminal complaint.
Agents also questioned the musicians.
Several claimed they had recorded music in Houston during past trips. One said he wasn’t actually a musician and just booked Uber trips for the band when they traveled to Houston.
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A search of government databases showed the bus had started crossing the border in October 2024.
The bus crossed the Hidalgo bridge in the “early morning hours approximately every week to two weeks,” according to the criminal complaint, with Jauregui behind the wheel.
After crossing the bridge, the bus would head north. It typically passed through the Falfurrias checkpoint about 90 minutes later.
The bus would return to Mexico the next morning.
A review of X-ray photos from previous trips “shows that on each of the trips the same anomaly existed within the gas tank of the vehicle.”
Agents charged Jauregui and the six passengers with participating in a conspiracy to import controlled substances.
Court records don’t list attorneys for Jauregui or the passengers. They remained in federal custody Wednesday and couldn’t be reached for comment.
