Laredo Felon Guilty in Conspiracy to Smuggle Hundreds of Aliens
LAREDO, Texas – A 34-year-old Laredo man has admitted guilt in a multi-year conspiracy to smuggle aliens for financial gain, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Danny Nunez operated and coordinated an organization in Laredo that smuggled and harbored hundreds of aliens since March 2023. The investigation tied Nunez to coordinating numerous smuggling events, including one involving over 100 aliens on December 2, 2023. On that date, law enforcement observed several people being loaded into a white trailer in a warehouse parking lot. A subsequent search resulted in the discovery of 101 aliens locked inside the trailer, including 12 unaccompanied children. Multiple people reported they had difficulty breathing and feared for their life due to the conditions in the trailer.
Additionally, authorities found over $36,000 in resulting proceeds and two illegal aliens on the premises during the search of Nunez’s residence. The seizure also included cell phones and ledgers documenting the aliens Nunez and others had smuggled over the course of the conspiracy.
U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei stated, "The road to a secure border runs through the Southern District of Texas. Human smuggling is a terrible practice, one that we are focused on eradicating. My advice to those in the human smuggling business is to find a new line of work."
Nunez and Juan Manuel Aguirre, 49, Laredo, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to smuggle aliens in the United States, admitting their roles in the transportation and smuggling of this group. Both defendants face up to 10 years in prison for conspiracy to smuggle aliens in the United States. They could also be ordered to pay up to $250,000 in fines.
Homeland Security Investigations, FBI, Texas Department of Public Safety, and Border Patrol conducted the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation with the assistance of Customs and Border Protection, the Laredo Police Department, Drug Enforcement Administration and Webb County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon Scott Bowling is prosecuting the case.
The OCDETF Program is a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach designed to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States.
Nunez and Aguirre will remain in custody pending sentencing.
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Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Category: Human Trafficking|Organized Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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