Related Federal Cases
- Tren de Aragua Leaders Unsealed, Terror Cartel Crimes, Texas, 2023 · New York
- Shannon Tecoko Mays, Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud, Texas, 2012 · Oklahoma
- Ruben Alonso Hernandez-Lainez, Rape and Assault, MD, 2023 · Ohio
- William Johnson, Murder and RICO Conspiracy, Minneapolis MN, 2023 · Texas
- Dantrell Johnson, RICO Conspiracy, Minneapolis MN, 2023 · Texas
Smuggling Ring Leader to Serve 70 Months in Prison
LAREDO, Texas – A 27-year-old Mexican national has been ordered to federal prison for her role in a multi-year conspiracy to smuggle illegal aliens for financial gain.
Giovana Lozano Hernandez pleaded guilty on September 3, 2025, and U.S. District Judge John A. Kazen has now ordered her to serve 70 months in federal prison. Not a U.S. citizen, she is expected to face removal proceedings following her imprisonment.
The investigation revealed Hernandez served as the group’s de facto chief financial officer, managing its books and finances alongside her husband, Danny Nunez. The couple worked directly with Cartel del Noreste and helped smuggle over 1,900 aliens, resulting in a substantial amount of illicit profits for both the CDN and the couple.
Authorities tied Hernandez to multiple smuggling events dating back to March 2023. In one December 2023 incident, authorities observed several people being loaded into a white trailer at a warehouse. A subsequent search uncovered 101 aliens inside the trailer, including 12 unaccompanied minors.
Several of the aliens reported difficulty breathing and feared for their lives due to the trailer’s conditions. A search of the couple’s home led to the discovery of cellphones, ledgers documenting smuggling activity, more than $36,000 in proceeds and two illegal aliens on the premises.
Numerous digital images of paper ledgers and illegal aliens were also identified, as well as voice messages exchanged between Hernandez and others detailing the transportation, housing and financial accountability for aliens who had already been transported and harbored.
Nunez, 35, was previously ordered to serve 10 years in federal prison on January 7. Hernandez will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The investigation was conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations, FBI, Border Patrol and Texas Department of Public Safety with the assistance of the Laredo Police Department and ICE – Enforcement and Removal Operations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon Scott Bowling prosecuted the case.
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 and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
The exact criminal charges against Hernandez are not specified in the report. Her husband, Danny Nunez, was previously ordered to serve 10 years in federal prison on January 7. Hernandez served as the group’s de facto chief financial officer, managing its books and finances alongside her husband. The couple worked directly with Cartel del Noreste, helping smuggle over 1,900 aliens.
According to the report, Hernandez and her husband were involved in multiple smuggling events dating back to March 2023. In one December 2023 incident, authorities observed several people being loaded into a white trailer at a warehouse. A subsequent search uncovered 101 aliens inside the trailer, including 12 unaccompanied minors.
The couple’s home was also searched, leading to the discovery of cellphones, ledgers documenting smuggling activity, more than $36,000 in proceeds and two illegal aliens on the premises. The investigation was conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations, FBI, Border Patrol and Texas Department of Public Safety with the assistance of the Laredo Police Department and ICE – Enforcement and Removal Operations.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon Scott Bowling prosecuted the case, which is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative to repel the invasion of illegal immigration and eliminate cartels and transnational criminal organizations.
Defendant: Giovana Lozano Hernandez
Charges: Cartel-Linked Conspiracy
City: Laredo, Texas
Date: September 3, 2025 (plea) and January 7, 2026 (sentence)
Sentence: 70 months in federal prison
Dollar Amounts: $36,000 in proceeds
Organization: Cartel del Noreste
Operation: Operation Take Back America
Law Enforcement: Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations, FBI, Border Patrol, Texas Department of Public Safety, Laredo Police Department, ICE – Enforcement and Removal Operations
Prosecutor: Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon Scott Bowling
Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Category: Human Trafficking|Organized Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
ðŸâ€Â’ Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
