A former magistrate judge from Doña Ana County, New Mexico, and his wife were taken into custody following a federal raid at their home in Las Cruces.

The arrest of Joel Cano, who previously served as a judge, and his wife Nancy Cano is linked to accusations of tampering with evidence in a case involving an undocumented immigrant with suspected gang affiliations.

According to court records, the couple is accused of harboring Cristhian Ortega-Lopez, a Venezuelan national believed to have ties to the Tren de Aragua gang, a criminal organization known to operate across Latin America.

Ortega-Lopez was reportedly hired by Nancy Cano to work on their property and later allowed to live in a guesthouse on the premises.