Eighteen men from Yuma, Somerton and San Luis have been indicted for human smuggling charges, officials with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Arizona announced.
Gary Restaino, U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona, announced late Friday a three-count indictment against 18 members of La Mesa, a Yuma-based human smuggling ring, for "Conspiracy to Harbor Illegal Aliens, Harboring Illegal Aliens for Profit and Conspiracy to Transport Illegal Aliens."
The defendants charged include:
-Victor Eduardo Araiza-Ponce, age 24, of Yuma;
-Antonio Aparicio III, 24, of Somerton;
-Alonzo Esparza, 27, of Yuma;
-Carlos Moreno-Serrano, 24, of Yuma;
-Xasiel Noriega-Gonzalez, 21, of Somerton;
-Joshua Guillermo Leon-Fuentes, 21, of Somerton;
-Angel Rodriguez, 23, of Yuma;
-Crystobal Figueroa, 23, of Somerton;
-Saul Ponce Jr., 23, of San Luis;
-David Leon-Pallanes, 23, of Yuma;
-Manuel Uriel Alvarado, 26, of Yuma;
-Elian Lopez, 24, of Yuma;
-Raymundo Delgado-Diaz, 35, of Yuma;
-Isreal Zeveda, 23, of Salinas, California;
-Francisco Javier Esparza-Macias, 21, of Somerton;
-Alex Chiquete, 25, of Yuma;
-Hector Eduardo-Valdez, 31, of Yuma;
-Jose Gabriel Marquez-Mendiola, 32, of Yuma.
U.S. Attorney's officials said that U.S. Border Patrol Intelligence agents arrested several men who transported undocumented migrants in Arizona and California. BPI agents learned of a human smuggling organization known as La Mesa, which they say worked on behalf of a Mexico-based transnational criminal organization called Los Rusos. Officials said La Mesa operated out of Yuma and Somerton.
U.S. Attorney's officials said the indictment alleges that members of the La Mesa organization were responsible for smuggling or attempting to smuggle hundreds of undocumented migrants across the U.S.-Mexico border.
Officials said Carlos Moreno-Serrano was the leader of the La Mesa organization.
Other defendants charged were responsible for coordinating smuggling events, scouting for the drivers who were transporting the undocumented noncitizens, transportation activities, procuring and running stash houses, distribution of payments to drivers and enforcement on behalf of the organization. Officials said they used rental vehicles, scout drivers and coordinated entries.
Officials with the U.S. Attorney's office said the maximum penalty for each of the charges is up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
Officials said the men named in the indictment are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
The following agencies are handling the investigation: Customs and Border Protection’s U.S. Border Patrol–Yuma Field Intelligence, El Centro and Indio Border Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ross Arellano Edwards and Stuart Zander of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Phoenix are handling the prosecution.
