Sheriff’s deputies arrest South Texas Border Patrol agent in headless murder case

Joel Luna/Cameron County Sheriff's Office Joel Luna/Cameron County Sheriff's Office Image 1 of / 146 Caption Close Sheriff’s deputies arrest South Texas Border Patrol agent in headless murder case 1 / 146 Back to Gallery

BROWNSVILLE — A border agent in South Texas has been arrested in connection to the decapitation of a Honduran national earlier this year, local authorities confirmed Friday.

Cameron County sheriff’s deputies arrested Joel Luna, a 30-year-old U.S. Border Patrol agent on possession of a controlled substance. Luna now faces capital murder and engaging in organized criminal activity charges, local authorities said.

Luna was arrested at his home in Hebbronville after local authorities seized around a kilo of cocaine, three handguns and nearly $90,000 hidden in a safe at his mother-in-law’s home in San Juan.

Cameron County Sheriff Omar Lucio said the case is believed to be associated with organized crime in Mexico.

Earlier this year authorities charged four men with the murder of a Honduran national whose decapitated and mutilated body was found in March floating in the bay off South Padre Island. The homicide occurred in Edinburg, according to Lucio.

Lucio said their investigation into the grisly crime revealed that two of the men charged in the crime, Fernando Luna Rodriguez and Eduardo Luna Rodriguez, are Luna’s brothers.

Border Patrol confirmed Joel Luna’s arrest on Thursday, adding that corruption and abuse are not tolerated within the agency, according to a statement.

Luna has been a Border Patrol agent for the past six years and was assigned to Hebbronville. He will be placed on administrative leave, the agency said.

Luna was transferred to Cameron County, where he is being held without bond.

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