Undocumented Guatemalan national Miguel Pacheco-Lopez, 35, was sentenced to more than seven months in federal prison for financing the dangerous smuggling of an unaccompanied 16-year-old boy from Guatemala into the United States. The Jacksonville resident, already living in the country illegally, now faces deportation after pleading guilty on November 21, 2017, to charges tied to international human smuggling operations.
U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Corrigan handed down the sentence after evidence revealed Pacheco-Lopez wired 20,000 Quetzals—nearly $2,700—to human smugglers coordinating the teen’s journey. The minor, encountered by U.S. Border Patrol in Texas’s Rio Grande Valley on June 29, 2017, admitted he crossed the border illegally with the intent to live in Jacksonville under Pacheco-Lopez’s care as his brother-in-law.
Investigation records show the smuggling fee totaled 45,000 Quetzals—approximately $6,100—with Pacheco-Lopez’s father-in-law, the boy’s father, borrowing an additional 25,000 Quetzals to cover costs. The operation highlights the network of familial financing that often fuels illegal entry attempts across the southern border, placing minors in life-threatening situations.
Agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) tracked Pacheco-Lopez to Jacksonville on July 6, 2017, as part of a broader crackdown on those funding the smuggling of unaccompanied children. Upon contact, he admitted his illegal status and was immediately taken into administrative custody on immigration violations before being charged criminally for his role in the smuggling plot.
“This criminal jeopardized his own family members by paying human smugglers,” said HSI Tampa Special Agent in Charge James C. Spero. “He endangered a child’s life with a dangerous and unlawful journey into the United States, and now he will be held accountable.” Federal authorities emphasized that such actions not only violate immigration law but also feed a criminal underground that profits from human risk.
The case was investigated by HSI and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Arnold B. Corsmeier. Pacheco-Lopez’s conviction underscores federal efforts to target not only the smugglers but also the sponsors who fund illicit crossings—especially when children are involved. He will serve his sentence followed by removal proceedings.”
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Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Human Trafficking
- Source: Official Source ↗
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