Kevin Noe Campos Villa, Human Smuggling, California 2024

A San Diego man has been sentenced to seven months in prison for his role in a human smuggling operation.

Kevin Noe Campos Villa, 20, of Tijuana, was arrested on January 22, 2024, after U.S. Border Patrol agents observed him directing a group of seven unauthorized immigrants through sewer pipes near the San Ysidro Port of Entry.

During heavy rains, the sewer grates were open, allowing Campos to smuggle the immigrants into the United States. However, when confronted by Border Patrol agents, Campos and three of the immigrants he was guiding ran to avoid apprehension, causing them to fall into the Tijuana River.

San Diego lifeguards rescued the individuals, who were found to be contaminated with the river’s water. According to court records, two of the unauthorized immigrants stated that they feared for their lives during the crossing because they did not know how to swim.

Campos pleaded guilty to the charges and admitted to working with smugglers to build ladders to cross the U.S.-Mexico border fence. He also agreed to reduce his smuggling fee to $6,000.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Adeline Schulberg. The United States Border Patrol and San Diego Lifeguard River Rescue investigated the crime.

Campos was sentenced to seven months in prison for bringing in illegal aliens at a place other than a designated port of entry, a crime punishable by up to ten years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

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