Two Brownsville men are behind bars after an undercover sting revealed they were both working as unlicensed locksmiths.
Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) investigators arrested both Frank Lopez Jr. and Jose Apolinar Ramirez on Tuesday.
The two men were both charged with operating as a locksmith without a license.
Licensing for locksmiths are regulated by the DPS Private Security Bureau in Austin.
Court records released on Wednesday show that 47-year-old Lopez owns a company named Frank’s Locksmith Service.
An undercover DPS officer paid Lopez $355.98 for work at an office off Ruben Torres Boulevard in Brownsville on February 23rd.
Court records show that 46-year-old Ramirez with J&J Locksmith was paid $500 dollars for work at the same office.
Neither man is a licensed locksmith in the state of Texas.
DPS officials recommend using licensed locksmiths for homes or business.
The Private Security Bureau has a searchable database of licensed locksmiths and companies on the DPS website.
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