Efrain Pacheco-Ovalles, Alien Smuggling, Arizona 2026

Efrain Pacheco-Ovalles Sentenced to 21 Months in Prison for Alien Smuggling and Assaulting a U.S. Border Patrol Agent

Tucson, Ariz. - Efrain Pacheco-Ovalles, 30, of Culiacan, Sonora, Mexico, was sentenced on January 29, 2026, by U.S. District Judge Angela M. Martinez to 21 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release.

Pacheco-Ovalles pleaded guilty to assault of a federal officer and conspiracy to transport illegal aliens for the purpose of commercial advantage or private financial gain.

"The U.S. Attorney's Office will not tolerate assaults on federal agents nor the criminal networks that exploit our southern border," said U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine. "In Tucson and across Arizona, law enforcement officers put their lives on the line to stop these networks from smuggling people and drugs into our country. We will protect our agents, secure the border, and hold accountable those who profit from lawlessness."

Pacheco-Ovalles was working as a scout for a transnational criminal organization (TCO) in January and February of 2025. Scouts are trusted TCO members who are integral to successfully moving aliens and controlled substances without being interdicted by law enforcement. TCOs have long used remote areas of the Tohono O'odham Indian Nation to smuggle narcotics and aliens from Mexico into the United States.

On February 4, 2025, U.S. Border Patrol agents conducted an operation to disrupt the scout site on Nine Mile Mountain in a remote area of the Tohono O'odham Indian Nation. When agents located Pacheco-Ovalles trying to hide under a tree, he fled down the mountain. An agent pursued Pacheco-Ovalles, who was taking pictures and videos of the agents while he ran. Agents also saw Pacheco-Ovalles throw his binoculars and backpack. When one agent got close enough to try to apprehend him, Pacheco-Ovalles intentionally elbowed the agent in the face, resulting in a black eye.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the government to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

The U.S. Border Patrol, Tucson Sector, investigated the case. The United States Attorney's Office, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-az/pr/mexican-national-sentenced-21-months-prison-alien-smuggling-and-assaulting-us-border