Mexican National Sentenced to 130 Months in Prison after Alien Smuggling Leads to Death

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Jorge Adan Fontes-Garcia, 26, an illegal alien from Sonora, Mexico, was sentenced on August 5, by United States District Judge James A Teilborg to 130 months in prison, followed by 60 months of supervised release. On May 20, Fontes-Garcia pleaded guilty to Bringing an Illegal Alien to the United States Unlawfully Resulting in Death. The sentence also addressed Fontes-Garcia’s violation of federal supervision, which the Court imposed after his prior conviction for Reentry of an Illegal Alien.

On August 23, 2023, Fontes-Garcia acted as the foot guide, leading a group of eight aliens across the Mexico-United States border into southern Arizona. United States Border Patrol apprehended all but one of the illegal aliens in the open desert approximately 19 miles south of Tacna, Arizona. The remaining alien was found by Border Patrol agents shortly thereafter, already deceased due to excessive heat exposure.

“This case demonstrates that human smugglers often have little regard for those entrusted to their care,” said United States Attorney Timothy Courchaine. “My message to those trying to cross the border illegally is that their actions are not just a violation of the law, they can also lead to tragic consequences.”

“Human smuggling results in numerous deaths every year as smugglers are more concerned with profit than the lives of the people they are smuggling,” said Chief Patrol Agent Justin De La Torre, Yuma Sector Border Patrol. “This sentence sends a clear message to anyone considering smuggling foreign nationals into the country – ‘if you do, we will arrest you, and you will be held accountable.’” 

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

Customs and Border Protection’s United States Border Patrol conducted the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.

CASE NUMBERS:         CR-23-01322-PHX-JAT, CR-22-00992-PHX-JAT
RELEASE NUMBER:    2025-130_Fontes-Garcia

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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
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