20 hours ago
Nine plead guilty to federal human smuggling charges, leader remains at large
Jun. 19—Nine members of what prosecutors describe as a human smuggling ring have entered guilty pleas in federal court, but the alleged leader of the group remains at large more than two years after his indictment.
Ronaldo Galindo Lopez-Escobar, 74, and nine others were indicted in May 2023 in connection with a scheme to smuggle people from Central America into the U.S. across New Mexico's southern border, federal court records show.
Lopez-Escobar, of Guatemala City, Guatemala, the alleged leader of the "Lopez crime family," so far has avoided arrest, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico said in a statement.
Lopez-Escobar coordinated the smuggling of Central Americans through Mexico and through Luna and Hidalgo counties through a network of "foot guides, drivers and caretakers" in exchange for money, the indictment alleges.
Illegal immigrants were shuttled through "stash houses" in Phoenix and elsewhere bound for destinations including Los Angeles, it alleges.
Payments were made through peer-to-peer money transfer apps, including Zelle. The acts cited in the indictment date from October 2021 to April 2023.
Nine people, all residents of Arizona and California, have pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Las Cruces to conspiracy to bring in, transport and harbor illegal aliens.
The scheme involved drivers who were instructed to pick up groups of undocumented immigrants at locations including Deming and Animas and take them to "stash locations" in exchange for a fee, the indictment said.
On several occasions in 2021 and 2022, transport vehicles were stopped by Border Patrol agents, it said.
Of the nine who have pleaded guilty, four have been sentenced to terms ranging from a year of probation to 45 months in prison. Sentencing hearings for the others are pending.
