Three Human Smugglers Indicted for Conspiracy

TUCSON, Ariz. – Saul Parra, Patrick Orozco, and Rafael Gamez-Ramirez, all from Tucson, were indicted on August 23, 2023, for Conspiring to Transport and Harbor Illegal Aliens for Profit.

The indictment alleges that, beginning around November 2021, Gamez-Ramirez coordinated with Orozco to purchase a parcel of land located in Bisbee, Arizona, to be used to facilitate the transport of undocumented noncitizens into the United States. Orozco bought and placed a recreational vehicle onto the property where undocumented noncitizens waited to be transported. Law enforcement officers pursued and stopped several vehicles leaving the parcel between November 2021 and January 2022; one such pursuit resulted in the death of an undocumented noncitizen after a driver lost control of the vehicle on I-10 near Exit 297. Parra participated in the human smuggling conspiracy by loaning his vehicles to drivers in exchange for payment.

A conviction for Conspiring to Transport and Harbor Illegal Aliens for Profit carries a maximum penalty of up to 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release.

An indictment is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Homeland Security Investigations-Douglas conducted the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Tucson, is handling the prosecution.
 

CASE NUMBER:            CR 23-01261-TUC-RM
RELEASE NUMBER:    2023-148_Parra

# # #

For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.