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DHS Confirms 24 Arrests in Manitowoc Trafficking Probe as Transparency Questions Grow

Reporters are pressing DHS for the remaining names, seeking an explanation of a booking date that predates the raid.

Overview

  • Federal authorities executed a Sept. 25 operation in Manitowoc County targeting an alleged transnational human- and drug-trafficking ring with ICE, FBI, CBP, the U.S. Marshals Service, the DEA and the IRS involved.
  • DHS now reports 24 arrests, up from an initial count of 21, and says several detainees have prior convictions that include sexual assault of a child, hit-and-run, DUI and identity theft.
  • ICE publicly identified six of those arrested; local prosecutors say Jose Hilario Moreno Portillo faces a Wisconsin charge of sexually assaulting a child under 16.
  • Manitowoc County jail records reviewed by WISN show Moreno Portillo was booked on Aug. 18, more than a month before the Sept. 25 raid, a timeline discrepancy DHS has not addressed.
  • The identities of the other 18 detainees remain undisclosed, and TMJ4 reports one person is still held at the Manitowoc County Jail on a federal warrant while another was released to ICE.