Humberto Ramirez-Santos, Human Smuggling, Texas 2019

Victoria, TX - A brazen human smuggling operation has been brought to light in Victoria, Texas, with a fugitive at large after failing to appear in court.

Humberto Ramirez-Santos, a 48-year-old Mexican national, was set to receive his sentence on October 2, 2019, for his involvement in a conspiracy to transport illegal aliens. However, he did not show up, and a federal grand jury indicted him on a charge of failure to appear, with a warrant still outstanding for his arrest.

The indictment stems from Ramirez-Santos' guilty plea on July 8, 2019, to his involvement in a conspiracy to transport illegal aliens between October 2011 and July 2017. The smuggling organization, which he was a part of, facilitated the smuggling of individuals from multiple countries, including China, Russia, India, Brazil, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Mexico.

The ages of those smuggled into the country ranged from toddlers to the elderly, but were mostly comprised of young adults. At the time of his plea, the court heard that smuggling trips were taken every week, with the total number of aliens transported being incalculable.

The organization used various methods to facilitate the smuggling, including driving cars and trucks to locations south of Border Patrol checkpoints, where they were guided through South Texas ranches to avoid detection. They also used Penske trucks and tractor trailers to smuggle illegal aliens through various checkpoints.

A particular tactic involved selecting a tractor trailer parked at a South Texas truck stop with a suitable temperature, removing the seal, and loading the illegal aliens. Members of the organization would follow the vehicle to the next stop, somewhere north of the checkpoint, to later retrieve them. The drivers would be unaware of their human cargo and were potentially exposed to criminal liability.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations, Border Patrol, and Houston Police Department conducted the investigation, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Patti Hubert Booth prosecuting the case.

An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdtx/pr/authorities-seek-human-smuggler-who-illegally-transported-chinese-and-other-nationals