Tag: Border Patrol
Brian Ramirez, Human Trafficking, New Mexico 2026
⏱ 2 min read Brian Ramirez, a 25-year-old Albuquerque man, is accused of running a smuggling operation that recruited drivers and used his residence as a stash house to move undocumented noncitizens through New Mexico. On May 7, 2026, Border Patrol agents caught two Mexican nationals, including a 17-year-old, attempting to evade a checkpoint near…
Luis Nino-Moncada, Depredation of Government Property, Oregon 2026
⏱ 2 min read Luis Nino-Moncada, a 33-year-old Venezuelan national, smashed into a government vehicle in the parking lot of Adventist Health Portland on January 8, 2026. Nino-Moncada, who was in the US illegally, rammed his red Toyota Tacoma pickup truck into a black Hyundai Sonata, which was parked behind him, in an attempt to…
Rodney William Gipson, Human Trafficking, Texas 2026
⏱ 2 min read Rodney William Gipson, a 61-year-old truck driver from Houston, was caught smuggling 24 illegal aliens in his truck at the Falfurrias Border Patrol checkpoint in Corpus Christi, Texas, on February 19. Instead of hauling its supposed cargo of carrots, Gipson’s tractor-trailer was found to be concealing the group of undocumented immigrants.…
Adrian Isaac Pimentel-Garcia, Smuggling and Assault, Texas 2025
⏱ 2 min read Adrian Isaac Pimentel-Garcia, a 20-year-old illegal alien from Mexico, and Juan Carlos Lopez Jr., 24, of Laredo, Texas, were sentenced to 36 months in federal prison for smuggling illegal aliens and assaulting federal agents. The incidents occurred on December 4-5, 2025, in south Laredo, where Border Patrol agents discovered groups of…
Moises Quintana Luna, Human Smuggling, California 2026
⏱ 2 min read A gruesome 151-pound methamphetamine haul was just one of 108 border-related cases filed by federal prosecutors in the Southern District of California this week. The cases included human smuggling, re-entry of deported aliens, and controlled substance importation. Moises Quintana Luna and Alma Beltran Ponce, Mexican citizens, were busted at the Tecate…
Joel L. Ayala-Rivera, Possessing a Firearm as an Illegal Alien, Virginia 2024
⏱ 2 min read Joel L. Ayala-Rivera, a 22-year-old Honduran national, was convicted of possessing a firearm as an illegal alien in Richmond, VA. On April 15, 2024, Ayala-Rivera sold a handgun to an undercover FBI agent at an apartment in Richmond. As an illegal alien, Ayala-Rivera is prohibited from possessing firearms. He had previously…
Brandon Ramos Bonilla, Importation of a Controlled Substance, California 2022
⏱ 2 min read A massive cocaine haul and multiple alien smuggling attempts were busted at the San Diego border this week, federal prosecutors announced. Customs and Border Protection officers sniffed out 61 pounds of cocaine hidden in a vehicle attempting to cross the Otay Mesa Port of Entry on April 24. Brandon Ramos Bonilla,…
Juan Carlos Hernandez, Human Smuggling, New Mexico 2022
⏱ 3 min read Four hundred and eighty individuals attempted to cross the US-Mexico border into New Mexico in the two weeks ending April 24, 2026, with 381 charged with various immigration crimes. The charges range from illegal reentry after deportation to alien smuggling and illegal entry, with some defendants having prior convictions for serious…
Silvestre Estrada, Manslaughter, California 2021
⏱ 2 min read A human smuggler’s estate and two undocumented aliens claimed a Border Patrol agent used excessive force during a high-speed chase on May 14, 2021, but a San Diego federal judge disagreed. Silvestre Estrada, the smuggler, was fatally shot after driving towards agents in a threatening manner. The chase began when agents…
Mayra Collins, Identity Theft, Texas 2022
⏱ 2 min read A 29-year-old Brownsville woman is in hot water for posing as a federal agent in two separate scams, bilking victims out of $250,000. Mayra Collins allegedly donned the badge and uniform of a U.S. immigration officer in 2022, promising to expedite Visa applications for a fee. But there was no legitimate…
