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Del Rio Man Sentenced to Over 12 Years in Federal Prison for Alien Smuggling
A Quemado man, Tomas Estrada-Torres, 47, was sentenced in a federal court in Del Rio to 151 months in prison for his role in a conspiracy to harbor illegal aliens causing serious bodily injury and placing lives in jeopardy.
According to court documents, Estrada-Torres conspired with several others in the alien smuggling and hostage-taking of a family consisting of a man, a pregnant woman, and their seven-year-old child. In August 2023, the family was being held at a stash house in Eagle Pass, while the smugglers demanded a $21,000 ransom.
Estrada-Torres and co-conspirator Ambar Obregon transported the pregnant woman from Eagle Pass to San Antonio, purchasing new clothes for her along the way and instructing her on what to say at a U.S. Border Patrol immigration checkpoint.
The woman was then transferred to a new stash house in Austin where, over multiple days, she was sexually assaulted by Pedro Ruiz Gonzalez, who also demanded payment from her, threatened to sell the unborn child, and threatened to kill her son.
On Sept. 21, 2023, USBP agents encountered Estrada-Torres at an immigration checkpoint near Eagle Pass with a passenger who was determined to be an illegal alien from Honduras. An investigation by Homeland Security Investigations resulted in Estrada-Torres admitting to transporting the pregnant woman to San Antonio.
Estrada-Torres was charged on April 24, 2024, with two counts in a six-count indictment. He pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to harbor illegal aliens causing serious bodily injury and placing lives in jeopardy on Dec. 16, 2024.
U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons said, ‘I’ve said it many times, but I’ll say it again here: Mexican drug cartels and their associated alien smuggling organizations do not care about your hopes and dreams. They care only about money, and they will threaten and abuse you in any way imaginable to get more cash out of you or your family members.’
Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Category: Human Trafficking|Organized Crime|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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