Three Illegal Aliens Nabbed For Mail Fraud, Drugs, and a Firearm in Rural Northern Nevada

A routine traffic stop of an unregistered vehicle led to the arrest of three illegal aliens in possession of drugs, stolen mail and a firearm in Minden, Nevada (pop. 3,140).

On Oct. 16, around 11 p.m., Douglas County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested the driver, Enrique Orozco, who presented a California ID, and passengers Brando Perez-Pena and Elmer Cante-Pocasangre presented Guatemalan IDs.

MyNews4 reports:

A search of the vehicle revealed a handgun, suspected methamphetamine and cocaine, and a device used to extract mail from mailboxes.

Deputies found 147 checks totaling $149,857.73, many altered to be payable to Orozco. Evidence suggested the occupants practiced forging signatures. The stolen mail originated from Washoe County, Lyon County, Carson City, and several California communities, but not Douglas County.

This incident mirrors a previous case involving similar mail theft methods. Authorities urge the public to avoid using blue mailboxes outside post offices for mailing checks.

All three suspects were booked on multiple charges, including possession of controlled substances and stolen property. U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement has placed immigration holds on the defendants, who are in the country illegally.

The previous case involving similar mail theft methods may be the mail theft case I covered at the Nevada Globe in April 2024.

At that time, I reported:

An undocumented couple, who were deported in 2019, have found their way back into the country entering Northern Nevada from California. During their travels in Reno, Carson County, Douglas County, Lyon County, Storey County and Washoe County, they were pulled over at midnight for speeding and then arrested and charged with multiple felonies related to mail theft, identity theft, burglary, and forgery.

Keyli Escalante-Enamorado, 21, and Rudy Socop-Domingo, 23, appeared in East Fork Justice Court with an interpreter after their Monday night arrest.

The Douglas County District Attorney’s office revealed there are 330 victims across four states. 21 of those victims reside in Douglas County.

During the traffic stop, a consent search uncovered nearly 300 pieces of mail, including personal and business checks totaling $555,000. Fishing equipment, weights, and duct tape used by the couple to fish mail from postal boxes was also found.

A consent search of the 2008 Toyota Camry revealed 261 personal and business checks totaling over $555,000.

A majority of the stolen checks were written to the IRS. Also, located in the Toyota were two homemade mail fishing devices made of vinyl strips, duct tape, and weights. The devices used the sticky portion of “Rat Traps” to remove mail from the postal containers.

Mail and checks were located from Douglas County, Carson City, Lyon County, Washoe County, Storey County and numerous locations in California.

The California Globe contacted the Douglas County Sheriff’s office to confirm if these two mail theft cases were related or a part of a larger mail theft ring, but the office could not provide comment as the investigation is ongoing.

Authorities are urging the public to avoid mailing checks from blue mailboxes outside post offices.

The Globe will continue to follow this story and provide related updates.