Javier Tellez-Lopez, 38, an illegal alien from Mexico living in South Carolina, admitted in federal court Tuesday to running a human smuggling ring across the Deep South. The plea, entered before Senior U.S. District Judge Louis Guirola, Jr. in Gulfport, Miss., cuts through the myth of border crimes as victimless — this was a premeditated operation to move undocumented immigrants through U.S. highways under the radar.
Tellez-Lopez was caught red-handed on January 28, 2019, when a South Mississippi Metro Enforcement Team interdiction agent pulled over a GMC Yukon XL at the 62-mile marker on I-10 eastbound in Jackson County. The SUV, registered in South Carolina, carried eight occupants — two drivers and six passengers — all crammed inside as part of an organized alien smuggling venture. Tellez-Lopez was behind the wheel.
U.S. Border Patrol agents arrived quickly and confirmed what the traffic stop had suspected: every person in the vehicle lacked legal documentation. All eight were illegal aliens from Mexico. The six passengers were not just undocumented — they were being transported for profit, the hallmark of smuggling. Five of the six had previously been formally removed from the United States and unlawfully reentered, a federal felony that triggered separate prosecutions by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The investigation, led by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the U.S. Border Patrol’s New Orleans Sector, revealed a network exploiting back roads and interstate highways to ferry migrants deeper into the U.S. interior. Tellez-Lopez’s role as a driver and conspirator placed him at the heart of the operation. Now, he faces a maximum of 10 years in federal prison, three years of supervised release, a $250,000 fine, and $5,100 in special assessments.
Sentencing is scheduled for July 31, 2019, at 10:00 a.m. before Judge Guirola. In addition to criminal penalties, Tellez-Lopez will be turned over to immigration authorities for removal proceedings once his sentence is served — a final exit enforced by the very system he defied. His co-driver and the passengers are already in various stages of deportation or prosecution.
U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst credited a multi-agency takedown involving HSI, Border Patrol, the South Mississippi Metro Enforcement Team, Jackson County Sheriff’s Department, and the City of Gautier Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stan Harris is prosecuting the case, building a record that could crack open broader smuggling operations funneling through the Gulf Coast. This wasn’t just a traffic stop — it was a strike against an underground pipeline.
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Key Facts
- State: Mississippi
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Human Trafficking
- Source: Official Source ↗
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