Texas Border Business
LAREDO, Texas — U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations, Laredo Port of Entry officers detained one male United States citizen wanted for sexual assault of a child.
“The security of our community is our priority,” said Port Director Alberto Flores, Laredo Port of Entry. “CBP conducts thorough border inspections to identify fugitives sought by law enforcement, in turn, bringing them to justice.”
The fugitive apprehension occurred on Friday, Aug. 11, at the Gateway to the Americas Bridge. A CBP officer inspecting pedestrians arriving from Mexico referred Gabriel Gonzalez, a 58-year-old male U.S. citizen, for a secondary inspection. After escorting the passenger to secondary, CBP officers utilizing biometric verification through law enforcement databases confirmed that the subject had an outstanding felony warrant for a sexual assault of a child, issued by the Sinton, Texas Sheriff’s Office. The warrant was confirmed to be active. The subject was turned over to the Webb County Sheriff’s Office to await criminal proceedings.
The National Crime Information Center (NCIC) is a centralized automated database designed to share information among law enforcement agencies including outstanding warrants for a wide range of offenses. Based on information from NCIC, CBP officers have made previous arrests of individuals wanted for homicide, escape, money laundering, robbery, narcotics distribution, sexual child abuse, fraud, larceny, and military desertion. Criminal charges are merely allegations. Defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.