TUCSON, Ariz. – Fidel Mancinas-Franco, 51, of Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, and Jose Villela-Lopez, 53, of Cananea, Sonora, Mexico, have been sentenced to lengthy prison terms for their roles in a Southern Arizona alien smuggling ring.
According to court documents, Mancinas-Franco and Villela-Lopez pleaded guilty to conspiracy to bring in, transport, and harbor unauthorized aliens.
On March 22, 2016, Chief U.S. District Judge Raner C. Collins sentenced Mancinas-Franco to 96 to 120 months in prison, while Villela-Lopez received a 96 to 120 month sentence.
The defendants were part of a conspiracy to smuggle unauthorized aliens into the United States from Mexico and to transport and harbor those aliens within the United States. The majority of the smuggled aliens hailed from Central and South America.
Mancinas-Franco and Villela-Lopez collected over $110,000 in smuggling fees and were required to forfeit those proceeds at sentencing.
The investigation in this case was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations (ICE/HSI) in Douglas, Ariz., U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Border Patrol (CBP/BP) Tucson Sector, ICE/HSI Attaché Mexico City, ICE/HSI Attaché Hermosillo, and ICE/HSI Attaché Guatemala City.
Special appreciation is owed to the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, the government of Mexico, and the U.S. Marshals Service for their assistance in the extradition process. The prosecution was handled by Sandra M. Hansen and Carmen F. Corbin, Assistant U.S. Attorneys, District of Arizona, Tucson.
Related Federal Cases
- Thomas Esquivias Ramirez, Assault by Strangulation, Arizona 2023 · Arizona
- James W. Clark, Making a Threatening Interstate Communication, Arizona 2021 · Washington
- Feds Bust 88 in Arizona Crime Sweep · Arizona
- Anthony William Delgado, Sledgehammer Manslaughter, Arizona 2023 · Colorado
- Eric Lee Kinney, Second-Degree Murder, Arizona 2022 · Arizona
Key Facts
- State: Arizona
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
ðŸâ€Â’ Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
MORE FEDERAL CRIME NEWS
Violent CrimeViolent CrimeViolent CrimeViolent Crime