TUCSON, Ariz. – Yesterday, Benjamin Gallegos, 24, of Tucson, Arizona was sentenced by United States District Judge Scott H. Rash to 48 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Gallegos previously pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Transport and Harbor Illegal Aliens for Profit for his role in organizing, managing, and supervising other co-conspirators within an organization that smuggled individuals from Mexico, Central America, and South America, into the District of Arizona. Gallegos was initially charged in 2018 for his illegal conduct, but he was a fugitive until his arrest in 2021.
This prosecution resulted from the coordinated efforts of Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA). The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona is part of 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. Attorneys’ 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 Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection’s U.S. Border Patrol. The FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration are also part of the Task Force.
Homeland Security Investigations – Nogales and the Customs and Border Protection’s U.S. Border Patrol conducted the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR 21-01322-TUC-SHR(BGM)
RELEASE NUMBER: 2022-110_Gallegos
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