{"id":16281,"date":"2025-11-25T17:01:25","date_gmt":"2025-11-25T17:01:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/negatius.biz\/?p=16281"},"modified":"2025-11-25T17:01:25","modified_gmt":"2025-11-25T17:01:25","slug":"the-department-of-justice-has-announced-the-indictment-of-fourteen-individuals-allegedly-involved-in-an-extensive-migrant-smuggling-network-describing-the-operation-as-a-coordinated-large-scale-effo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/negatius.biz\/?p=16281","title":{"rendered":"The Department of Justice has announced the indictment of fourteen individuals allegedly involved in an extensive migrant smuggling network, describing the operation as a coordinated, large-scale effort that facilitated unlawful border crossings and exploited vulnerable people for profit, prompting a comprehensive federal crackdown on the organization\u2019s activities in the region.*"},"content":{"rendered":"<p data-start=\"105\" data-end=\"501\">The U.S. <strong data-start=\"114\" data-end=\"136\">Justice Department<\/strong> has announced an indictment of <strong data-start=\"168\" data-end=\"181\">14 people<\/strong> tied to a sophisticated, cross-border alien-smuggling ring. The case, handed down by a <strong data-start=\"269\" data-end=\"309\">grand jury in Las Cruces, New Mexico<\/strong>, alleges the group conspired to transport, harbor, and smuggle undocumented migrants into the United States, using dangerous routes and hiding methods.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"503\" data-end=\"871\">According to the DOJ, <strong data-start=\"525\" data-end=\"555\">eight of the 14 defendants<\/strong> have already been arrested (on Feb 20\u201321, 2025). \u00a0The indictment claims the organization moved <strong data-start=\"688\" data-end=\"723\">hundreds of undocumented people<\/strong>, including <strong data-start=\"735\" data-end=\"759\">unaccompanied minors<\/strong>, through remote border locations in <strong data-start=\"796\" data-end=\"810\">New Mexico<\/strong> and <strong data-start=\"815\" data-end=\"830\">South Texas<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"873\" data-end=\"1315\">One of the most heartbreaking allegations: a migrant died of <strong data-start=\"934\" data-end=\"965\">heat exposure in the desert<\/strong> and was allegedly abandoned by the smugglers during the operation. \u00a0The indictment also describes how the group used \u201cstash houses\u201d to conceal migrants during transit and coached them on evasive tactics \u2014 including how to flee from U.S. Border Patrol or avoid checkpoints.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1317\" data-end=\"1825\">High-speed driving was a key part of their strategy: the DOJ says the smugglers often tried to outrun law enforcement, putting both migrants and public safety at risk.\u00a0Acting U.S. Attorney <strong data-start=\"1544\" data-end=\"1566\">Holland S. Kastrin<\/strong> (District of New Mexico) condemned the group\u2019s \u201ccallous and reckless disregard for human life,\u201d while DOJ and DHS officials stressed the case reflects a coordinated effort to dismantle transnational smuggling networks.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1827\" data-end=\"2343\"><strong data-start=\"1827\" data-end=\"1873\">ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI)<\/strong>, along with U.S. Border Patrol, played a central role in the probe. <strong data-start=\"1942\" data-end=\"1962\">Jason T. Stevens<\/strong>, HSI\u2019s El Paso Special Agent-in-Charge, warned that these types of smuggling operations treat people as \u201chuman cargo,\u201d exploiting their desperation to make a profit. \u00a0The case is also part of \u201cJoint Task Force Alpha,\u201d an initiative pooling DOJ and DHS resources against major alien-smuggling operations.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2345\" data-end=\"2838\">Each of the 14 defendants faces <strong data-start=\"2377\" data-end=\"2399\">conspiracy charges<\/strong> (transport, harboring, bringing in undocumented people). If convicted, they could spend up to <strong data-start=\"2494\" data-end=\"2516\">10 years in prison<\/strong>, though actual sentences will depend on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other legal factors. \u00a0The DOJ says the investigation is ongoing \u2014 more arrests or charges could follow as authorities continue dismantling the wider smuggling network.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The U.S. Justice Department has announced an indictment of 14 people tied to a sophisticated, cross-border alien-smuggling ring. The case, handed down by a grand jury in&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16281","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The Department of Justice has announced the indictment of fourteen individuals allegedly involved in an extensive migrant smuggling network, describing the operation as a coordinated, large-scale effort that facilitated unlawful border crossings and exploited vulnerable people for profit, prompting a comprehensive federal crackdown on the organization\u2019s activities in the region.* - magazine24<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/negatius.biz\/?p=16281\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Department of Justice has announced the indictment of fourteen individuals allegedly involved in an extensive migrant smuggling network, describing the operation as a coordinated, large-scale effort that facilitated unlawful border crossings and exploited vulnerable people for profit, prompting a comprehensive federal crackdown on the organization\u2019s activities in the region.* - magazine24\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The U.S. Justice Department has announced an indictment of 14 people tied to a sophisticated, cross-border alien-smuggling ring. 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