BUFFALO, N.Y. –U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo has dropped the hammer on Ancelma Contreras Pano and Ana Castro Castro, both accused of illegal re-entry after removal. The 40-year-old Mexican national, Contreras Pano, and the 38-year-old Ecuadorian, Castro, are staring down a decade behind bars and a quarter-million-dollar fine.
Contreras Pano was nabbed on July 31, 2025, in Amherst when Border Patrol Agents pulled over the van she was riding in. She had no legal right to be here—she was deported in June 2015, but back she came like a boomerang.
Castro’s story unfolded just a week later in Lancaster. She too found herself on the wrong side of the law, with no documentation to support her presence in the U.S., after being removed in July 2021.
Their arrests are part of Operation Take Back America, a DOJ initiative that aims to push back against illegal immigration and eliminate criminal cartels and organizations. Both women appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeremiah J. McCarthy, where they were locked up.
These cases are the fruit of a thorough investigation by U.S. Border Patrol, led by Patrol Agent-in-Charge David Banks. As it stands, both defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Contreras Pano and Castro’s illegal re-entry charges aren’t just a slap on the wrist; they’re a call to action against those who flout our immigration laws.
RELATED: Illegal Re-entry: Mexican and Ecuadorian Women Charged
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Key Facts
- State: New York
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Violent Crime|Sex Crimes|Cybercrime|Public Corruption|Weapons|Human Trafficking|White Collar Crime|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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