Suspected Leader of Significant Human Smuggling Organization Extradited to San Diego

NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – September 12, 2023

SAN DIEGO – Luis Antonio Mendez-Brahan of Tijuana appeared in federal court today following his extradition from Mexico to face charges stemming from his alleged role as the leader of a prolific human-smuggling organization with three of his children.

Mendez-Brahan was indicted by a federal grand jury in 2019 on one count of conspiring to bring unlawful aliens into the United States, transport unlawful aliens within the United States, and conduct financial transactions with the proceeds of specified unlawful activities. Mendez Brahan was also charged with five counts of bringing aliens into the United States for financial gain.

Three of Mendez-Brahan’s children - Christopher Mendez, Wendy Monserrath Mendez, and Nancy Jacqueline Suarez - already admitted their involvement with their father in the human smuggling conspiracy and were sentenced in 2021.

According to the indictment, Mendez-Brahan was the leader of a smuggling organization for almost a decade and was responsible for smuggling hundreds of undocumented migrants into the United States. The Mendez-Brahan organization allegedly operated in an area east of the Tecate Port of Entry and used an ever-changing cadre of spotters, guides, and drivers to facilitate the smuggling organization’s criminal activities. The indictment alleges that Mendez-Brahan charged between $6,000 and $8,000 for each migrant he arranged to be smuggled into the United States.

According to the indictment, Mendez-Brahan used money service businesses such as Western Union and Money Gram to move money from the U.S. to Mexico. Border Patrol investigators tracked financial transactions conducted by Mendez-Brahan’s children in the United States to money service businesses located in Tijuana and ultimately, to Mendez-Brahan himself.

This case is the result of ongoing efforts by the United States Border Patrol – San Diego Sector, with support from Joint Task Force Alpha (“JTFA”), to dismantle active transnational criminal organizations involved in human smuggling along the U.S.–Mexico border in the Southern District of California.  JTFA was created to investigate and prosecute precisely these types of international networks alleged to be responsible for dangerous and prolific human smuggling activities that exploit and victimize migrants.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Victor P. White and David Fawcett. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with the Mexican Attorney General’s Office to secure the arrest and extradition of Mendez-Brahan.

DEFENDANT                                   Case Number 19cr1570-JLS

Luis Antonio Mendez-Brahan                        Age: 55           Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico

Christopher Mendez                           Age: 28           Wasco, California           

Wendy Monserrath Mendez               Age: 24           Wasco, California

Nancy Jacqueline Suarez                    Age: 31           Madera, California

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Count 1 (all defendants): Conspiracy to Bring in Certain Aliens for Financial Gain, to Transport Certain Aliens, and to Conduct Financial Transactions with Proceeds of Specified Unlawful Activity; and Aiding and Abetting – Title 18, U.S.C., §§ 371 and 2. Maximum penalty: Five years in prison

Counts 2–6 (Luis Antonio Mendez-Brahan): Bringing in Certain Aliens for Financial Gain; and Aiding and Abetting – Title 8, U.S.C., § 1324(a)(2)(B)(ii) and Title 18, U.S.C., § 2.Minimum Penalty: Three years in prison (per count) and Five years if convicted of three counts

Maximum penalty: Ten years in prison

AGENCY

United States Border Patrol San Diego Sector/El Cajon Station Intelligence Team

United States Border Patrol BORTAC – Special Operations Division

Customs and Border Protection – Mexico

Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs

*The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California 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 and the Northern Triangle countries of 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 Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection, and Border Patrol.  The FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration are also part of the Task Force.