HOUSTON — A man was arrested in Liberty County Monday on murder charges. Police believe he is part of the violent MS-13 gang.
Luis Miguel Perez Miranda, 34, is being held in the Liberty County Jail on a $5 million bond for murder charges. According to the Liberty County Sheriff's Office, reports indicate Perez Miranda is a confirmed MS-13 gang member.
The arrest comes less than a week after MS-13 and several other cartels and transnational organizations were designated as foreign terrorist organizations by the State Department.
Multiple agencies, including the Texas Rangers, conducted an extensive search for Perez Miranda by land and air after he was accused of stabbing a Colony Ridge man to death, the sheriff's office said.
The Liberty County Sheriff's Office reported that Perez Miranda was apprehended late Monday night after he approached a family asking for something to drink and a ride.
Daniel Comeaux, Special Agent in Charge of the Houston Field Division Drug Enforcement Administration, explained the significance of the recent terrorist designation.
"We know that drug cartels are killing Americans. They're killing them every day. You have these fentanyls that's out there in the street," Comeaux said.
The designation carries additional consequences, including financial sanctions and watchlist monitoring.
"Even if they have a visa, that could be pulled back so they would not be able to say get on a plane and fly to the United States as easily as they could in the past," Comeaux noted.
The State Department's list includes eight cartels and transnational organizations: Tren de Aragua, MS-13, Cartel de Sinaloa, Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion, Cartel de Norests, La Nueva Familia Michoacana, Cartel de Golfo, and Carteles Unidos.
When asked how these particular groups were selected, Comeaux explained, "Well just from our information that we've had, these are organizations that we have been targeting. These are the most violent corrupt organizations that are just causing so many problems in these United States."
The DEA is coordinating with local authorities on investigations related to these organizations.
"Absolutely we will take a phone call from any state and local, any one of these members of these cartels, we will look at them federally," Comeaux confirmed.
KHOU 11 has reached out to ICE for additional information about Perez Miranda and how he was able to re-enter the United States after previously being deported.
Photojournalist Sergio Soto contributed to this report.