Jose Maria Ramirez, Transporting Illegal Aliens, Texas 2020
Laredo, Texas - In a shocking case of human trafficking, two men have been sentenced to federal prison for their roles in smuggling illegal aliens across the border.
Jose Maria Ramirez, a 28-year-old Laredoan, pleaded guilty on November 24, 2020, to conspiring to transport illegal aliens. His co-conspirator, Eloy Martinez-Carranza, a 35-year-old man from South Carolina, entered a guilty plea on December 8, 2020.
On October 1, 2020, Martinez-Carranza approached the US-83 Border Patrol checkpoint driving a semi-truck and trailer. A K-9 alerted to the presence of contraband in the trailer, leading authorities to cut the seal and find 40 illegal aliens, including three unaccompanied minors, inside. The inside temperature was approximately 109 degrees, and authorities observed coffee grounds scattered around the trailer.
Martinez-Carranza claimed he was traveling to Laredo from South Carolina to work as a trucker, but he did not have a commercial driver’s license or any training as such. Upon further investigation, authorities identified a location suspected to be the stash house for the illegal aliens and found a total of 22 illegal aliens, including more unaccompanied minors.
On April 30, U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo ordered Martinez-Carranza to 36 months in prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. Ramirez, on the other hand, was ordered to serve a 57-month sentence to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. The court noted that Ramirez had repeatedly broken the law and had his supervised release revoked multiple times.
Jose Maria Ramirez has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future. Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with the assistance of Customs and Border Protection. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Harrison prosecuted the case.
In related news, authorities continue to crack down on human trafficking in the Laredo area. If you have any information regarding human trafficking, please contact the authorities immediately.
Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Category: Human Trafficking|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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