Five alleged cattle rustlers were arrested in Texas Friday after a lengthy investigation that was launched in December.
The suspects are accused of stealing and slaughtering approximately 70 head of cattle in Williamson County, where they are now being held in jail, Fox 7 reported Sunday.
In a social media post on Friday, the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office identified the men accused of being involved in the organized livestock theft operation as 50-year-old Ramon Martinez Miranda, 58-year-old Miguel Martinez Mons, 42-year-old Orleydis Martin Reyes, 34-year-old Yasmani Galis-Hernandez, and 41-year-old Reidel Martinez.
“All five individuals have been charged with Theft of Livestock between $30,000 and $150,000, a Third-Degree Felony under Texas Penal Code 31.03,” the post reads:
On December 3, 2025, officers with the Florence Police Department conducted a traffic stop on a pickup truck towing a trailer without proper lighting. During the stop, officers discovered three deceased cattle in the trailer, along with evidence indicating the animals had been recently killed.
Further investigation by WCSO revealed that the cattle were stolen from Capitol Land & Livestock in Schwertner, Texas. Evidence collected during the investigation includes physical evidence, witness statements, digital forensic analysis, and cell phone location data indicating the suspects were involved in an organized scheme responsible for the theft and slaughter of approximately 70 head of cattle over several months.
Investigators said they found “multiple crime scenes” where someone had cut pasture fencing “in a consistent manner to facilitate the theft of livestock.” They also located ammunition, animal processing tools, and photos of stolen and slaughtered cattle on a suspect’s phone.
The sheriff’s office thanked the Florence Police Department, Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA) Special Rangers, and Texas Parks & Wildlife Department Game Wardens for their help in the investigation, which is ongoing.
“This case highlights the dedication of our investigators and the strong collaboration between agencies to combat organized agricultural crime,” Williamson County Sheriff Matt Lindemann stated. “Livestock theft has a significant financial impact on our agricultural community, and we remain committed to holding offenders accountable.”
In 2015, TSCRA Special Ranger Sonny Seewald said that although some people thought cattle rustling was a thing of the past, that is not the case.
“It pays more now than it did back then. The thieves now will get the same price for the cattle as the man that owns it,” he explained. “They’ll run it through the sale barn here and they’ll get the same money. A regular thief, he’ll get 10 cents on a dollar on stuff that he steals in town so they can’t afford not to steal (cattle).”
When speaking of how the cattle rustlers worked, he said, “They’ll look for a place where nobody lives and cattle are on the property and they’ll watch, get the routine, make sure no one is coming. They’ll cut the fence, come in (and) shake a sack of cubes. Cattle are used to coming to that feed. (They’ll) use their own pens, back up, load ’em up, and they’re gone.”
The early settlers of Texas were often targeted by cattle rustlers, according to the Texas State Historical Association (TSHA) website.
“Most rustlers of the open-range era were cowboys who had drifted into dubious practices. They knew the cattle country and were adept at roping, branding, and trailing. One needed only to buy a few cows, register a brand, and begin branding strays,” the site reads. “Following the transition from the open range to fenced ranches, rustling gradually was lessened by efforts of local officers, the Texas Rangers, and inspectors of cattlemen’s associations, who checked brands as cattle were sold at livestock markets.”