The Trump Administration’s Homeland Safety Investigations (HSI) unit has arrested the proprietor of a Phoenix-based taco restaurant for using — and allegedly smuggling — unlawful aliens.
Blademir Angulo Audeves, a 42-year-old unlawful alien himself, was arrested Tuesday and hit with a number of federal fees, together with harboring unlawful aliens, using unauthorized employees, and unlawful possession of firearms, as a part of Operation Take Again America, Arizona’s Household reported.
Angulo, who runs the favored Taqueria El Taco Loko on 67th Avenue and Indian College Highway — together with a cell taco trailer and taco bus — was discovered to have housed and employed a minimum of 12 unlawful aliens at his properties in Laveen and Maricopa.
Federal brokers raided Angulo’s properties and companies and located three firearms, a whole lot of rounds of ammunition, and a community of international nationals reportedly smuggled into the nation and dealing under-the-table.
A number of of the employees informed federal brokers that Angulo personally organized or financed their unlawful entry, charging them as much as $12,000 per individual to be paid off by way of money or indentured labor.
Regardless of being beforehand deported in 2021, Angulo admitted he illegally re-entered the U.S. simply months later. Prosecutors say he paid employees in money and checks to dodge employment verification legal guidelines.
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Blademir Angulo Audeves, 42, of Mexico, was arrested on July 8, and charged by prison criticism for Harboring of an Unlawful Alien, Knowingly Using Unauthorized Aliens, Improper Entry by an Alien, and Alien in Possession of a Firearm. Angulo could have his preliminary look in federal courtroom immediately.
In response to the criticism filed on this case, in March 2025, Homeland Safety Investigations (HSI) started investigating allegations that Angulo was using unlawful aliens with out work authorization at his taco eating places within the Phoenix space. By means of the investigation, HSI recognized a minimum of 12 unlawful aliens working for Angulo, a few of whom had been residing at Angulo’s dwelling in Laveen, Arizona or at a second residence on sixteenth Avenue.
On July 8, HSI executed federal search warrants on Angulo’s residence and restaurant places, in addition to the sixteenth Avenue residence. Inside the 2 residences, brokers encountered a number of Mexican residents with out authorized permission to be in america. Brokers additionally arrested Angulo with out incident.
At Angulo’s residence, brokers discovered three firearms and a whole lot of rounds of ammunition in the main bedroom closet. In response to immigration information, Angulo, a Mexican nationwide, was encountered by authorities in 2011 whereas illegally current in america, and ultimately left the nation through Nogales, Arizona pursuant to a voluntary departure in Could 2021. When he was arrested on July 8, Angulo didn’t have authorized permission to be in america and was subsequently prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition.
At Angulo’s taco restaurant places, HSI brokers additionally discovered Mexican residents with out authorized permission to be current or employed in america legally.
Two of the unlawful aliens that HSI encountered whereas executing the warrants as a part of this operation, Christian Sagaste-Garcia and Jose Luis Ambriz-Cortes, had been additionally arrested and individually charged with Re-entry of a Eliminated Alien. Sagaste-Garcia and Ambriz-Cortez had been beforehand faraway from america in October 2024 and February 2013, respectively.
These instances are a part of Operation Take Again America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the total assets of the Division of Justice to repel the invasion of unlawful immigration, obtain the entire elimination of cartels and transnational prison organizations (TCOs), and defend our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Again America streamlines efforts and assets from the Division’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Process Forces (OCDETFs) and Challenge Secure Neighborhood (PSN).
