News Releases and Statements
News Releases and Statements
Olegario Lares-De La Rosa, 30, of Mexico, was convicted of conspiracy to commit hostage taking, conspiracy to transport illegal aliens for profit, transportation of illegal aliens, and felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition after a jury trial in February 2023.
According to the indictment and other court records, Jose Luis Avalos aka “El Gordo,” 40, of El Paso, Texas, allegedly led the human smuggling operation. Avalos and his wife, Kristina Hardin, 41, also of El Paso, were arrested June 1 in El Paso, and detention hearings are set for June 7 to determine whether they will remain in custody pending trial, which has not been scheduled.
Andres Urias-Soto, 28, of Phoenix, Arizona, further pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Transport Illegal Aliens for Profit Resulting in Death and admitted to violating a condition of supervised release.
Angelico Roa-Joachin, 43, of Mexico, was convicted of conspiracy to transport and harbor illegal aliens for profit and reentry of a removed alien.
Vince Ruiz III, a 33-year-old resident of Humble, Texas, was sentenced in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas to 18 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by two years of supervised release.
The operation was initiated by the Kansas City Heartland Anti-Trafficking Rescue Taskforce and focused on identifying and rescuing victims who were being trafficked for sexual exploitation. HSI, with assistance from the Independence Police Department, arrested 22 individuals and rescued two trafficking victims.
Henry Licona-Larios, a 34-year-old unlawfully present Honduran national, was sentenced in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas to 41 months in prison for conspiracy to harbor unlawfully present noncitizens. Licona-Larios pleaded guilty to the charges on May 24, 2022.
Trucker who smuggled 71 people in meat trailer sentenced to 15 months after HSI Laredo investigation
U.S. District Judge Diana Saldana sentenced Denny Fuentes, 48, from Splendora, Texas, to 15 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release.
Trajahn Alexander Johnson, 25, of Glendale, Arizona, was sentenced to six months in prison followed by two years of supervised release. Johnson, the final co-conspirator to be sentenced, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transport illegal aliens resulting in death.
Adrian Duran-Estrada, 39, of Tucson, was also ordered to pay a $200 special assessment and a $20,000 money judgment. Duran-Estrada pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transport illegal aliens and unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
On March 14, David Daniel Gallegos, 21, of Pomona, California, allegedly applied for admission into the United States from Mexico via a vehicle lane at the San Luis Port of Entry in San Luis.
Ernesto Gaona-Gonzalez, 59, of Mission, was charged with attempting to smuggle a noncitizen. On April 18, U.S. Magistrate Judge Nadia S. Medrano found Gaona-Gonzalez to be a danger to the community and a flight risk and ordered him to remain in custody pending further criminal proceedings.
Urbino Garcia-Bahena, a 32-year-old unlawfully present noncitizen residing in Houston, was sentenced in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas to 151 months in federal prison for conspiracy to commit hostage taking.
The complaint alleges that an investigation identified Juan Manuel Soto-Guzman, 41, of Mexico, as a person involved in a conspiracy to transport undocumented noncitizens for profit.
Ofelia Hernandez-Salas, 60, and co-conspirator Raul Saucedo-Huipio, 48, were arrested in Mexico at the request of the United States pursuant to charges previously filed in the District of Arizona and unsealed last week.
Ofelia Hernandez-Salas, 60, and co-conspirator Raul Saucedo-Huipio, 48, were arrested in Mexico at the request of the United States pursuant to charges previously filed in the District of Arizona and unsealed last week. Hernandez-Salas and Saucedo-Huipio allegedly conspired with other smugglers to facilitate the travel of large numbers of migrants from and through Bangladesh, Yemen, Pakistan, Eritrea, India, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Russia, Egypt, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala and Mexico into the United States.
Si Liu, 36, and her codefendants Ye Wang, 32, and Yang Gao, 33, conspired to move and conceal proceeds obtained through prostitution.
Arling Antonio Gutierrez-Garcia, 49, a Nicaraguan citizen unlawfully present in the United States pleaded guilty March 10 to conspiracy to transport noncitizens.
On March 9, a federal judge in Del Rio sentenced Enrique Rodriguez, 21, of San Antonio, to 78 months in prison for conspiracy to transport noncitizens resulting in serious bodily injury or placing lives in jeopardy. In addition to his prison sentence, the judge ordered him to pay $205,827.97 in restitution.
Miguel Angel Ceballos-Acuna, 30, of Mexico, pleaded guilty March 7 to a human smuggling event resulting in the death of a minor child.
Francisco Javier Quintanilla-Alcocer, a 38-year-old Mexican citizen, pleaded guilty March 3. Brandon Cibriano-Gonzalez, a 21-year-old Mexican citizen, and Orlando Andres Garcia, 23, Mission, Texas, had previously admitted their guilt in relation to the scheme.
A judge in the Southern District of Texas convicted Edgar Botello, 30, of conspiracy to sex trafficking; sex trafficking with force, fraud or coercion; and possession of child pornography.
Olegario Lares-De La Rosa, 29, of Mexico, previously pleaded guilty to felon in possession of a firearm on June 9, 2022. Sentencing is scheduled for May 4 before United States District Judge Jennifer G. Zipps.
According to court documents, Jose Miguel Sandoval-Pineda aka “Primo,” aka “Chavalon,” 22, of Michoacan, Mexico, was the leader, organizer and recruiter for a criminal organization heavily involved in human smuggling, firearms trafficking, and narcotics trafficking in the San Antonio area in 2019 and early 2020.
Authorities arrested 48 people for alleged human trafficking, sexual exploitation and other criminal offenses and offered support to 41 people, including eight children. Officials also recovered two firearms, including a ghost gun.
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