McALLEN, Texas – Federal authorities arrested a top operator for Mexico’s Gulf Cartel in Roma, Texas. The Mexican national has a lengthy criminal history in the U.S. and is one of the main leaders of the cartel’s human smuggling network–earning him a spot on the bi-national most wanted list.

This week, U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested 36-year-old Andres “El Pause” Martinez Granados. Court records revealed that authorities charged Martinez Granados with illegal re-entry and took him before U.S. Magistrate Judge Peter Ormsby, who formally notified him of the charge and ordered that he be held without bond. In court, Martinez Granados requested a court-appointed attorney. Martinez Granados also has outstanding state court warrants filed by the Starr County Sheriff’s Office.

The man known as El Pause has prior human smuggling convictions and at least three prior deportations. Law enforcement sources in Mexico identified El Pause as a top Gulf Cartel operator who is considered a major player in the human smuggling operations for the criminal organization.

In June 2018, U.S. federal authorities and the Tamaulipas government launched a bi-national most wanted list called “Se Busca” where they outlined 10 of the top cartel bosses and operators responsible for most crimes along the border. Since the program launched, authorities have arrested seven out of the 10 targets. Granados is the only cartel operator on the list that was arrested in Texas.

Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded the Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com.

Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded the Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz, and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.