Guilty plea leads to 5-year sentence for human smuggling and illegal firearm

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Jail cell (Photo by J. Conrad Williams Jr./Newsday RM via Getty Images)

BROWNSVILLE, Texas - A 38-year-old Mexican national has been sentenced to five years in federal prison for his role in a human smuggling attempt earlier this year near the Rio Grande, federal prosecutors announced.

Border smuggling and firearm charges

What we know:

Alejandro Ramirez-Carranza of Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico, pleaded guilty on May 8 to transporting and bringing a migrant into the United States, illegal reentry and being a noncitizen in possession of a firearm, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas.

U.S. District Judge Rolando Olvera on Monday sentenced Ramirez-Carranza to 60 months in prison. Prosecutors said he is expected to face removal proceedings after completing his sentence. The court applied sentencing enhancements for organizing the smuggling event, brandishing a firearm and creating a substantial risk of death or serious injury.

Ramirez-Carranza has previous felony convictions for unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and illegal reentry after deportation. 

He was last removed from the United States in 2009.

Co-defendant receives 54-month sentence

Dig deeper:

Another man involved in the incident, 40-year-old Issac Azuara-Vasquez, a Mexican citizen and lawful permanent U.S. resident, pleaded guilty April 10 to the same smuggling-related charges and to selling a firearm to Ramirez-Carranza. He previously received a 54-month sentence and also faces potential loss of his permanent residency and removal proceedings. His sentence was similarly enhanced for brandishing a firearm and endangering others, authorities said.

Both men remain in federal custody.

Surveillance operation leads to capture

The backstory:

The case stems from a Feb. 12 surveillance operation in an area of the border known for frequent smuggling activity. Agents monitoring the area heard a boat crossing the Rio Grande from Mexico before spotting a truck driven by Azuara-Vasquez approaching the river. 

Several people emerged from nearby brush and climbed into the truck bed after someone yelled for them to run in Spanish, prosecutors said.

Ramirez-Carranza was standing near the truck, allegedly grabbed an AR-15-style rifle from the vehicle and ran toward the rear of the truck despite repeated commands from law enforcement to stop and drop the weapon.

Investigators later determined Ramirez-Carranza had acted as a river guide and coordinated with Azuara-Vasquez to move the group of migrants. One of the individuals told authorities that Ramirez-Carranza ferried him across the river by boat and that relatives were paying for his entry into the United States.

DOJ combats human smuggling

What's next:

The investigation was conducted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection with assistance from the FBI and the Cameron County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Angel Castro prosecuted the case.

The prosecution is part of a Justice Department initiative focused on combating human smuggling and related criminal activity along the U.S. border.