San Diego, California – In a major blow to human smuggling operations in Southern California, Lourdes Ortiz Castaneda, the chief financial officer of a vast alien-smuggling organization, has been sentenced to 34 months in prison.
Ortiz Castaneda, who played a key role in the smuggling organization’s financial operations, was sentenced in federal court yesterday in San Diego. Her partner in the crime, Gerardo Rigoberto Barojas-Saavedra, was previously sentenced to 71 months in custody for his role as the leader of the organization.
According to their plea agreements, Barojas and Ortiz smuggled more than 100 undocumented migrants from Mexico into the United States, including some minors, through the southern border to Orange County and as far as the east coast. The migrants were charged between $7,000 and $8,000 per person to be smuggled to Orange County, with the majority of the smuggling fees received in cash.
Barojas received approximately $216,925 in wire transfers, while Ortiz received payments in cash, check, and wire transfers totaling approximately $480,465. The organization operated by renting vehicles and recruiting drivers to pick up illegal aliens along the Interstate 8 corridor in Imperial and San Diego counties, after the aliens had crossed illegally into the United States.
The investigation into the smuggling organization, led by U.S. Border Patrol Agents assigned to the Boulevard Border Patrol Station, resulted in the interdiction of approximately 150 alien smuggling events and the prosecution of three couriers. Several of these smuggling events involved substantial risk to the migrants, including one event in which three were transported in an unsafe manner concealed within the trunk of a vehicle.
The plea agreements revealed that while in custody on state charges from 2020 to 2021, Barojas continued running the Barojas alien smuggling organization from custody with the help of Ortiz and others. Ortiz handled day-to-day operations during this time and also continued managing the financial operations of the smuggling organization until her arrest in September 2021.
The sentences, handed down by U.S. District Judge Barry Ted Moskowitz, included enhanced penalties for the substantial risk that the Barojas organization’s drivers caused; the illegal transportation of an unaccompanied minor; the possession of firearms in furtherance of the offense; the transportation of more than 100 aliens; and their aggravated roles within the transportation cell’s alien smuggling activities.
‘We cannot emphasize enough that human smugglers only care about money and have very little regard for the safety and well-being of their customers,’ said Acting U.S. Attorney Andrew Haden. ‘I urge anyone considering this perilous journey: Please do not trust a smuggler with your life.’
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Loren G. Rene.
Defendant: Lourdes Ortiz Castaneda
Criminal Charges: human smuggling
City and State: San Diego, California
Exact Date: 2023
Sentence or Outcome: 34 months in prison
Dollar Amounts: $480,465
MANDATORY FACTS: ALL included
Related Federal Cases
- Amanuel Ghebremichael, Human Smuggling, California 2022 · Washington
- Juan Hernandez, Human Smuggling, California 2022 · Indiana
- Anaelys Barrantes, Human Smuggling Conspiracy, California 2023 · California
- Juan Carlos Ramirez, Human Smuggling, California 2023 · Washington
- Emily Wilson, Human Smuggling, California 2022 · New York
Key Facts
- State: California
- Category: Human Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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