BIRMINGHAM — The final chapter in a chilling 2016 home invasion plot orchestrated by foreign nationals at the behest of drug traffickers came to a close today as LUIS DIAZ-ZAVALA, 34, of Honduras, was sentenced to one year and a day in federal prison. Diaz-Zavala admitted to possessing a firearm as an illegal alien, capping a case that exposed a paramilitary-style raid planned for a Calhoun County residence — with civilians to be handed over to a Dallas enforcer.
U.S. District Judge R. David Proctor handed down the sentence after Diaz-Zavala pleaded guilty in October to a single count of possessing a firearm by an alien illegally in the United States. Already in custody, he joins three co-defendants — CAMILO ANTONIO ESPINOZA-MEDRANO, 32, JOSUE LOPEZ-BENEGAS, 24, both of Honduras, and ENRIQUE ECHEVERRIA-BENITEZ, 28, of Mexico — who each received two years and three months in prison after pleading guilty last year to the same charge.
The plot unraveled on March 25, 2016, when Oxford Police stopped a vehicle carrying Espinoza-Medrano, Lopez-Benegas, and Echeverra-Benitez. Officers recovered four pistols — including a stolen Smith & Wesson SD9, a loaded Caspian Arms .45-caliber, a Smith & Wesson M&P 9mm, and a SIG Sauer SP2022 — along with loaded magazines, a black AirSoft rifle, tactical vest, Bowie knife, handcuffs, ski mask, rope, and a machete. That same day, Diaz-Zavala was pulled over in a separate vehicle and found with a security guard badge, two shirts labeled “FBI,” and a duty belt with handcuffs and a holster.
According to court documents, Lopez-Benegas told investigators a friend had recruited him in early March for a “security job” in Alabama that promised $60,000 upon completion. The job, allegedly arranged through a security company run by the friend’s boss — known to Lopez-Benegas as a drug organization enforcer and debt collector — involved using GPS coordinates to locate a target home, seize a safe, and then deliver the occupants to the boss in Dallas. The chilling directive suggested a kidnapping-for-hire operation masked as contract security work.
Acting U.S. Attorney Robert O. Posey credited Oxford Police, ICE-HSI, and the FBI for intercepting what could have become a bloody home invasion. “Oxford Police and agents of ICE and the FBI are to be applauded for their cooperative work that prevented what could have been a violent home invasion at the behest of a drug-trafficker,” Posey said. “This office and our law enforcement partners continue our commitment to capture and prosecute people intent on violence who are in the country illegally.”
After serving their sentences, all four men will be turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for deportation. HSI Special Agent in Charge Raymond R. Parmer Jr. emphasized the ongoing mission: “Keeping our communities safe from violent criminals remains a priority for HSI. Together with our state and federal partners we will continue to target these criminal elements and ensure the safety of our citizens.” FBI Special Agent in Charge Roger Stanton added, “Diaz-Zavala deserves every day of this sentence.”
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Key Facts
- State: Alabama
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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