On November 19, 2025, Bexar County Sheriff’s Office Organized Crime Division deputies conducting undercover surveillance at a Love’s gas station in Von Ormy, TX, intercepted a suspected human-smuggling operation. Deputies had received intelligence that an 18-wheeler traveling from Laredo toward San Antonio might be involved in smuggling.

Around 11:25 p.m., deputies observed a gray Chevrolet Tahoe parked suspiciously near the pumps. The vehicle was linked to previous human-smuggling cases. Deputies followed the Tahoe as it left the location, later witnessing it meet an 18-wheeler behind a nearby Valero gas station. Following the brief encounter, deputies stopped the Tahoe and identified the driver as Juan Hernandez Balderas, with a second occupant detained as a victim.

The victim admitted to being smuggled into the U.S. and had recently crossed the border. Deputies determined there was probable cause to charge Balderas with Smuggling of Persons and Engaging in Organized Criminal Activity.

A traffic stop on the involved 18-wheeler near I-35 and Loop 1604 led to the arrest of driver Alfredo Israel Juarez Flores and passenger Alejandro Cantero Chavez after evidence linked them to the smuggling operation. All suspects were booked into the Bexar County Adult Detention Center on multiple felony charges:

• Alejandro Cantero Chavez: Engaging in Organized Criminal Activity (F2), Smuggling of Persons – Pecuniary Benefit (F3)

• Alfredo Israel Juarez Flores: Engaging in Organized Criminal Activity (F1), Smuggling of Persons – Pecuniary Benefit (F2)

• Juan Hernandez Balderas: Engaging in Organized Criminal Activity (F2), Smuggling of Persons (F3)

The investigation remains ongoing.