LAREDO, Texas – Two Mexican nationals are facing life in prison after admitting to their roles in an alien smuggling conspiracy that resulted in death.
Fabian Hernandez, 29, of Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico, and Emmanuel Ferral-Tonche, 19, of Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge John Kazen on June 9, 2021.
According to the investigation, Hernandez and Ferral-Tonche led a group of approximately two dozen individuals through the hot south Texas brush, leaving some behind without offering water or assistance.
On June 9, 2021, authorities responded to multiple 911 emergency calls from the Hachar Ranch property in Webb County and discovered 24 individuals illegally present in the United States who had become lost at that location.
The remains of three deceased people were found, with agents determining that Hernandez and Ferral-Tonche had guided at least one of them before they succumbed to dehydration and hyperthermia while being smuggled.
U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo will impose sentencing on March 16, 2022, at which time both men face up to life in federal prison.
Hernandez and Ferral-Tonche have been and will remain in custody pending that hearing.
The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations and Customs and Border Protection, with assistance from the Laredo Police Department.
Related Federal Cases
- Adan Hernandez-Nunez, Human Smuggling for Rape, Texas 2016 · Texas
- Elizabeth Miranda Lozano, Smuggling Resulting in Death, Texas 2021 · Texas
- Andres Carrillo-Hernandez, Human Smuggling, New York 2023 · Texas
- Marco Antonio Nava Jr, Human Smuggling, Texas 2024 · Texas
- Joseph Edmond Cleveland, Human Smuggling, Texas 2024 · Texas
Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Category: Human Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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