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. Officials also recovered two firearms, including a ghost gun.
Adolph Scott, 37, of Baltimore, received the lengthy prison sentence Feb. 15 for transporting an individual to engage in prostitution and for possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.
U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez sentenced 24-year-old Abraham J. Ahumada of Laredo to 262 months in prison to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release. The court also ordered him to pay $4,077 in restitution.
Tobias Penner Peters, 46, piloted an aircraft carrying five undocumented noncitizens on Dec. 30, 2021, and crashed shortly after taking off from the Presidio Airport, according to court documents.
HSI San Antonio Acting Special Agent in Charge Craig Larrabee at the podium providing remarks during the USAO Southern District of Texas boating press conference. He provided information regarding HSI’s role in the investigation that led to the arrest of six suspects.
The event, titled “Combatting Human Trafficking in West Virginia: Bringing Our Communities Together for Response, Prevention, Awareness and Action,” enabled HSI Charleston and its law enforcement partners to meet with about 200 teachers, educators, front-line workers, law enforcement partners and other stakeholders to discuss ways to combat human trafficking, specifically addressing the problem throughout the state of West Virginia.
According to the HSI Norfolk investigation, George William Evans, 68, participated in a conspiracy to harbor, transport, and benefit from the employment of undocumented noncitizens at the commercial laundry business he co-owned.
Maria Botello-Morales, a 56-year-old Mexican national illegally residing in Houston, pleaded guilty Jan. 30 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking; sex trafficking with force, fraud or coercion; and sex trafficking of a minor.
The symposium coincided with National Human Trafficking Awareness Day and Wear Blue Day. More than a dozen law enforcement agencies, nongovernmental organizations and community partners participated.
A Mexican national was sentenced Jan. 12 for harboring individuals and possessing firearms following a joint investigation by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Border Patrol, and the Cameron County Precinct 4 Constable’s Office.
In August 2021, Miguel Almonte, 42, was convicted of human trafficking. He received a sentence of 10 years in prison, with all but a year and a half suspended, to be followed by five years’ probation.
According to court documents, Melvin L. Barahona-Godoy, 27, of Guatemala, and Yoryi Alexis Perez, 33, of the Dominican Republic, led several people to the Rio Grande River, Sept. 21, 2017.
HSI Baltimore’s commitment to public safety makes a tangible impact on the Eastern Seaboard and 2022 was a year of significant achievements, especially in human trafficking investigations conducted by HSI Baltimore’s Human Exploitation Group (HEG).
Orlando Gonzalez, 22, from Roma, was sentenced Jan. 4, to 72 months in federal prison followed by three years supervised release. The court found Gonzalez’s actions to be a danger to the community, noting he led law enforcement agents on a 100-mph high speed chase which resulted in a tragic rollover.
HSI Kansas City is a global leader in the fight against human trafficking and has an extensive mission to proactively fight against the trafficking of individuals.
According to court documents, Rosalio Cano Jr., 22, transported an undocumented noncitizen to multiple locations in or around San Antonio over a five-day period. During this time, co-conspirators were in contact with the now-kidnapping victim’s family and repeatedly raised demands for payment.
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Panama, in coordination with the local Transnational Criminal Investigative Unit (TCIU), in addition to HSI Operation Expanded Impact Costa Rica and the Government of Costa Rica, executed 20 arrest warrants and 23 search warrants that resulted in the arrest of 19 individuals, the seizure of several vehicles, and the rescue of 77 migrants, Dec. 13. The individuals rescued were from various countries enroute to the United States, including nationals from Colombia, Ecuador, India, Nicaragua, Sri Lanka, and Venezuela. The arrests included six employees of the migration service for Panama.
Elias Lopez III, a 35-year-old resident of San Benito, Texas, was sentenced Thursday in the Southern District of Texas to 33 months imprisonment to be immediately followed by two years of supervised release for conspiring to transport unlawfully present noncitizens within the United States. Lopez pleaded guilty to the charges July 26.
