Leader of Illegal-Alien Smuggling Ring Sentenced

A Honduran national living in Texas and responsible for smuggling an estimated 2,500 to 3,000 illegal aliens into the U.S. has been sentenced for his crimes.

Over the course of three years, Enil Edil Mejia-Zuniga was a leader of a large illegal-immigrant smuggling ring, helping thousands of migrants enter the U.S. from 11 different countries, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. 

“Smuggling rings have no place in Texas. I am proud that San Antonio ICE arrested this illegal alien who smuggled thousands of illegal aliens into our homeland,” Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, told The Daily Signal. “Because of ICE, our streets are safer, and the integrity of our immigration system is upheld.”

On July 9, a federal judge sentenced Mejia-Zuniga to 10 years in prison followed by three years of supervised release after the Honduran national “pleaded guilty to three counts of bringing an alien to the U.S. for financial gain and aiding and abetting,” according to ICE.

Five other co-defendants in the case have either already been sentenced or are awaiting sentencing.  

ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations Del Rio conducted the investigation with various federal and state law enforcement agencies in South Texas.  

“Despite the doxing and the anti-ICE rhetoric from the radical open-borders crowd in this country, our brave immigration agents continue to do their job undeterred,” Roy said. “We thank them every single day for their hard work, and I commend all law enforcement in San Antonio for ending this smuggling ring.”

According to Matthew R. Galeotti, acting assistant attorney general, “Mejia-Zuniga and his coconspirators made millions of dollars off the backs of thousands of people whom they smuggled into the United States.”

According to the DOJ, Mejia-Zuniga operated the smuggling ring from November 2020 through March 2023. Illegal aliens from numerous countries, including Afghanistan, Yemen, Egypt, India, and Pakistan, worked primarily with a Pakistani smuggler based in Brazil to arrange travel. Then the Pakistani smuggler worked with Mejia-Zuniga, who was based in San Antonio, Texas, to get the illegal aliens from South America into the U.S. The DOJ reports that Mejia-Zuniga ran the operations side of the smuggling ring—paying drivers and arming smuggler “coyotes.” 

The illegal aliens were charged between $6,500 to $12,000, according to the DOJ, and “Mejia-Zuniga admitted that he made $30,000 for every 10 illegal aliens who made it to the Rio Grande and another $30,000 if those 10 illegal aliens made it to San Antonio.”  

The investigation into the smuggling operation produced evidence of “wire transfers, customer ledgers, foreign identification documents, and photographs of members of the Mejia-Zuniga [alien-smuggling organization] with firearms,” according to the DOJ. 

“In an effort to satisfy his greed, Mejia-Zuniga facilitated the illegal movement of thousands of Middle Easterners into the United States,” said Justin Simmons, U.S. attorney for the Western District of Texas, said. “His actions put our national security at risk. However, thanks to our many federal law enforcement partners, Mejia-Zuniga will no longer be allowed to enrich himself to the detriment of this country.” 

The post Leader of Illegal-Alien Smuggling Ring Sentenced appeared first on The Daily Signal.