Law enforcement cooperation between the United States and Mexico has led to the dismantling of a prolific transnational human smuggling organization operating in Nogales, Sonora, along the U.S.-Mexico border.
The Mexico Attorney General’s Office, through the “Fiscalía General de la República” (FGR), conducted a significant enforcement operation to target the human smuggling organization.
The targeted human smuggling organization is alleged to be responsible for illegally smuggling large numbers of individuals from Mexico, Central America, and South America into Arizona and other locations throughout the United States.
The enforcement operation included the execution of six arrest warrants in Mexico for smuggling coordinators: Arturo Tienda-Garcia aka Tuercas, Jose Guadalupe Tienda-Garcia aka Pantera, Gilberto Escalante-Osuna aka Mochomo, Uriel Cruz-Tienda aka Quiqui, Cristal Tolentino-Hernandez, and Alfonso Sotelo-Contreras aka Pajaro.
“The Attorney General established Joint Task Force Alpha to address the threat posed by transnational human smuggling networks, and this operation is a prime example of its impact,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr.
“Border security is less about erecting barriers between nations, and more about increasing cooperation among neighbors,” said U.S. Attorney Gary Restaino for the District of Arizona.
U.S. authorities provided assistance to the Mexico Attorney General’s Office through coordination under Joint Task Force Alpha, which was established by Attorney General Merrick B. Garland in June 2021 to marshal the investigative and prosecutorial resources of the Department of Justice, in partnership with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), to enhance U.S. enforcement efforts against the most prolific and dangerous human smuggling and trafficking groups operating in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras.
Related Federal Cases
- Amalia Gonzalez-Lara, Human Smuggling Conspiracy, Arizona 2024 · Alaska
- Manuel Victor Gastelum, Human Smuggling, Arizona 2024 · Texas
- Shatasia Emoney Sanders Taylor, Human Smuggling Assault, Arizona 2023 · Texas
- Jesus Ernesto Dessens-Romero, Human Smuggling, Arizona, 2023 · Texas
- Angelico Roa-Joachin, Human Smuggling, Arizona 2023 · Texas
Key Facts
- State: Federal
- Category: Human Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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