LAREDO, Texas – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at Laredo Port of Entry encountered a man wanted in San Antonio on a felony warrant for aggravated sexual assault of a child.

“Our frontline officers continue to maintain strict vigilance and their attention to detail and dedication to the border security mission resulted in this significant apprehension,” said Port Director Albert Flores, Laredo Port of Entry. “Apprehensions of this heinous type clearly underscore the important work of our officers in keeping our communities secure.”

On Monday, May 20, CBP officers at Juarez-Lincoln Bridge referred vehicle passenger Paciano Castillo Hernandez, 51, a U.S. citizen, for secondary inspection. During secondary examination, CBP officers utilizing biometric verification and federal law enforcement databases verified his identity and discovered that he was the subject of an outstanding felony arrest warrant for aggravated sexual assault of a child issued by Bexar County Sheriff’s Office in San Antonio, Texas. CBP officers transported Castillo Hernandez to Webb County jail for adjudication of the warrant.

The National Crime Information Center is a centralized automated database designed to share information among law enforcement agencies including outstanding warrants for a wide range of offenses. Based on information from NCIC, CBP officers have made previous arrests of individuals wanted for homicide, escape, money laundering, robbery, narcotics distribution, sexual child abuse, fraud, larceny, and military desertion. Criminal charges are merely allegations. Defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.