BROWNSVILLE, Texas – A pair of Brownsville residents have been handed down severe prison sentences for their role in a chilling human smuggling operation that saw three illegal aliens crammed into the trunk of a car.
Ofelia Christine Monares and Michael Rosa, both aged 35, pleaded guilty on April 1st. Monares was sentenced to 40 months behind bars, with an additional year of supervised release following her sentence. Rosa received 25 months imprisonment and one year of supervised release. Both individuals received enhanced sentences for placing the lives of the aliens at risk.
The heinous crime came to light on February 24th when law enforcement spotted several suspected illegal aliens along a dirt road near the Rio Grande River. The group was coerced into climbing into the trunk of a Nissan Sentra, which then fled from authorities. The vehicle was stopped at Highway 4 checkpoint, where three Vietnamese nationals were discovered in the trunk, dehydrated and suffering profuse sweating.
Rosa, who drove the car, confessed that Victor Hugo Medrano-Medrano and Monares had recruited him for the $10,000 transport fee to deliver the aliens to a local convenience store. Video surveillance showed another Nissan Titan, which crossed the checkpoint shortly after Rosa’s arrest, with Monares at the wheel and Medrano as a passenger. Monares claimed she was due to receive $500 per alien transported.
Medrano-Medrano, 38, has also pleaded guilty and awaits sentencing in September. Currently in custody, both Monares and Rosa will remain behind bars pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility as yet to be determined.
The investigation was conducted by Customs and Border Protection, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Angel Castro prosecuting the case. This operation is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative aimed at combating illegal immigration and transnational criminal organizations.
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Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Organized Crime|Human Trafficking
- Source: Official Source ↗
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