A Houston man has been sentenced to 110 months in prison for his role in a human smuggling organization that was responsible for a fatality and a sexual assault.
Saul Torres-Martinez, also known as ‘Cobra’, was the leader of the organization, which smuggled over 100 undocumented individuals from the Mexican border to Houston between 2018 and 2019.
The organization, known as the ‘Cobra’ human smuggling organization, was identified and apprehended by law enforcement as part of an approximately two-year investigation into human smuggling in the Rio Grande Valley.
According to law enforcement, the organization was responsible for a smuggling fatality as well as an alleged sexual assault of another smuggled individual.
Saul Torres-Martinez, 42, of Houston, pleaded guilty on July 6, 2021, to conspiring to smuggle undocumented individuals. He was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane.
In addition to Torres-Martinez, five other members of the organization were sentenced. Ernesto Mata Pioquinto, 32, of Mexico, received a 52-month sentence, while Marcelino Navarro Sanchez, 31, of Mexico, also received a 52-month sentence.
Robert Hernandez, 26, of Fresno, was sentenced to 39 months in prison, while Noemi Silva, 39, of Wimauma, Florida, received an 87-month sentence. Luis Esteban Martinez, 41, of Alamo, also received an 87-month sentence.
All six defendants will serve three years of supervised release following their terms of imprisonment. Not U.S. citizens, Torres-Martinez, Pioquinto, and Sanchez are expected to face removal proceedings following the completion of their respective sentences.
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Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Category: Human Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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