US Border Patrol reportedly captures Russian mercenary carrying drone, 2 passports and $4K

A Russian mercenary was arrested by U.S. Border Patrol brokers earlier this month after he illegally entered the U.S. close to Roma, Texas, in response to stories.

ValleyCentral.com in Harlingen, Texas reported that brokers encountered Timur Praliev after he crossed the Rio Grande into Texas, carrying two passports and $4,000 on Jan. 4, 2025. He was finally arrested.

A felony criticism acquired by the station reveals that Praliev was questioned about his citizenship in the course of the encounter and acknowledged he was a citizen of Kazakhstan.

One other court docket doc reveals Praliev appeared in court docket final Tuesday with counsel and entered a responsible plea of knowingly and unlawfully coming into the U.S. at a spot aside from as designated by immigration officers.

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The FBI is among the many companies investigating the reported assault on the feminine Border Patrol agent of the Tucson Sector. (Getty Photos)

In the course of the court docket listening to, Assistant U.S. Legal professional Amanda McColgan reportedly instructed the choose Praliev was additionally in possession of a drone in his backpack when he crossed into the U.S.

She added that when questioned, Praliev admitted to being a member of the Wagner Group.

The choose presiding over the case dominated Praliev was responsible as charged and ordered a time period of imprisonment plus a particular evaluation of $10.

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Cadets of a army academy fireplace a salute in the course of the funeral of Dmitry Menshikov, a mercenary for the personal Russian army firm Wagner Group, killed in the course of the army battle in Ukraine, within the Alley of Heroes at a cemetery in Saint Petersburg, Russia December 24, 2022. REUTERS/Igor Russak (REUTERS/Igor Russak)

The station reported that when Praliev was requested if he had something to say, he responded, “Nyet.”

U.S. Customs and Border Safety didn’t instantly reply to Fox Information Digital’s request for extra data on the matter.

In 2023, the U.S. Division of Treasury designated the Wagner group as a major transnational felony group, which resulted in sanctions in opposition to the group and its supported community throughout a number of continents.

The Wagner Group has operated throughout a number of areas, together with the Center East, Africa and Venezuela, and has lengthy prompted “no finish of issues for U.S. policymakers.”

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On this handout picture taken from video and launched by Prigozhin Press Service Saturday, Could 20, 2023, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the top of the Wagner Group army firm speaks holding a Russian nationwide flag in entrance of his troopers in Bakhmut, Ukraine. Prigozhin claims his forces have taken management of town of Bakhmut after the longest and most grinding battle of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, however Ukrainian protection officers have denied it. In a video posted on Telegram, Prigozhin stated town got here beneath full Russian management at about noon Saturday. (Prigozhin Press Service through AP)

Since its inception in 2014, the group has been thought-about a proxy group of the Russian state overseas, in response to the Middle for Strategic and Worldwide Research (CSIS). The group rose to prominence in the course of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. 

The group presently has roughly 50,000 personnel deployed to Ukraine, together with 10,000 contractors and 40,000 convicts, in response to U.S. officers. 

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Wagner has more and more leaned on recruitment from prisons, which regularly embody skilled army veterans. U.S. intelligence has indicated beforehand that the Russian Protection Ministry has “reservations” about Wagner’s recruiting strategies, however the group will proceed to seek out contemporary troops in prisons.

Fox Information’ Peter Aitken contributed to this report.