TUCSON, Ariz. – A Nogales area man pleaded guilty in federal court Thursday in connection to his role as the coordinator for a human smuggling organization operating in southern Arizona. This case was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) – Nogales Office with assistance from United States Border Patrol.
Benjamin Gallegos, 24, of Nogales, Arizona, admitted to conspiring to transport and harbor noncitizens for profit. Specifically, Gallegos managed, organized and coordinated other co-conspirators to drive, provide guide services, and operate stash houses for undocumented persons seeking to be smuggled into the United States. Over the course of the conspiracy, Gallegos coordinated smuggling operations for over 100 undocumented persons entering the country from Mexico.
A conviction for conspiracy to transport and harbor illegal aliens for profit carries a maximum penalty of ten years, a maximum fine of $250,000, or both.
Sentencing is set before U.S. District Judge Scott H. Rash on April 22.
The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Tucson, is handling the prosecution.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona is part of Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA), which was established by Attorney General Merrick B. Garland in June 2021 to marshal the investigative and prosecutorial resources of the Department of Justice, in partnership with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), to enhance U.S. enforcement efforts against the most prolific and dangerous human smuggling and trafficking groups operating in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras. The Task Force focuses on disrupting and dismantling smuggling and trafficking networks that abuse, exploit] or endanger migrants, pose national security threats, and are involved in organized crime. JTFA consists of federal prosecutors and attorneys from U.S. Attorney’s Offices along the Southwest Border (District of Arizona, Southern District of California, Southern District of Texas, and Western District of Texas), from the Criminal Division and the Civil Rights Division, along with law enforcement agents and analysts from DHS’s ICE and Customs and Border Protection. The FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration are also part of the Task Force.
HSI is a directorate of ICE and the principal investigative arm of DHS, responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel and finance move. HSI’s workforce of over 10,400 employees consists of more than 7,100 special agents assigned to 220 cities throughout the United States, and 80 overseas locations in 53 countries. HSI’s international presence represents DHS’s largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.
Learn more about HSI Nogales’ investigations on human smuggling at @HSIPhoenix.