A Mexican national residing illegally in Laredo has been sentenced to two years in prison for his role in a human smuggling conspiracy. Jesús Aleman-Serrano, 34, pleaded guilty on May 8 and is expected to face removal proceedings following his imprisonment, according to U.S. Attorney Alamdar Hamdani.
Authorities detailed the "intricacy" and "level of sophistication" of Aleman-Serrano's smuggling operations, citing his use of fake Union Pacific trucks to smuggle migrants across the border.
Two other conspirators were previously sentenced to 18 months in prison for participating in the smuggling ring: Laredo residents Edison Alfredo Escalante, 23, and Clarissa Villarreal, 29.
On Feb. 26, Escalante attempted to bypass a checkpoint in Laredo by posing as a Union Pacific employee. Authorities stopped him when they found his vehicle was not registered to the railroad company. Upon inspection, agents discovered eleven migrants from Mexico and Honduras hiding in built-in compartments of the truck.
Escalante initially told law enforcement that he was being forced to commit the crime by "people in Mexico," but cell phone evidence revealed his connections to the Cartel del Noreste – a Mexican cartel "known for engaging in ruthless acts of violence and extortion to support its drug trafficking operations," per U.S. Attorney Hamdani.
According to court documents, Escalante helped plan smuggling trips to San Antonio and purchased the Union Pacific decals, crimes he later admitted to. "Moving 11 individuals in dangerously cramped conditions inside a vehicle not only reflects the callousness of these operations but underscores the serious risk to life—where even a minor accident could have led to a tragic outcome," said Hamdani.
Further investigation led authorities to two stash houses in Laredo where the smuggling ring harbored undocumented individuals. Before entering one of the houses, agents observed Aleman-Serrano transporting two individuals from the property to a nearby apartment. When agents approached the apartment, they encountered Villarreal, the apartment owner, who admitted she was hired by Aleman-Serrano to "take care" of the undocumented immigrants. Inside the stash house authorities uncovered ledgers recording the migrants' arrival dates, lengths of stay, and the fees they were charged.
Border Patrol has reported a sharp incline on stash house raids during the last five years. In Fiscal Year 2020 the agency recorded a total of 66 such raids. In 2023 this number rapidly went up to 280. Stash houses play a crucial role in human trafficking along the Southwest border and can be difficult to detect because they often blend seamlessly into neighborhoods.
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