63 months for leader of years-long human smuggling conspiracy operating across southern U.S.

LAREDO, Texas – A 21-year-old Laredo resident has been sentenced to federal prison for exploiting social media, inclement weather and the Covid-19 pandemic to carry out a multi-year conspiracy to smuggle illegal aliens into the country, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

Juan Francisco Reyna, 21, pleaded guilty Jan. 8 to conspiring to transport and harbor illegal aliens within the United States.

U.S. District Judge Keith Ellison has now ordered Reyna to serve 63 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by one year of supervised release. The court held him responsible for more than 100 aliens and further imposed enhancements for unaccompanied minors, reckless endangerment and being a leader/organizer in the conspiracy.

“Over the past six months, the Department of Justice has made securing our national border the number one priority, and the Southern District is putting that promise into action,” said Ganjei. “Human smugglers may have had an easy time over the past few years, but those days are over. If you engage in these crimes, if you break our nation’s immigration laws, you will be caught and you will be punished. Simple as that.”

The investigation revealed Reyna had been involved in human smuggling for at least five years. Between 2019 and 2023, he was repeatedly caught attempting to move individuals through the I-35 Border Patrol (BP) checkpoint north of Laredo. Reyna was also linked to the operation of multiple stash houses in the Laredo area and one his family operated in San Antonio.

Reyna had recruited and paid others to harbor and transport aliens across the United States, including cities in Oklahoma, Arkansas, Georgia and Florida. He also hired co-conspirators to collect and return bulk cash proceeds after the individuals reached their final destinations.  

Evidence on his cellphone contained information on dozens of illegal aliens, including photos, names, identifying details and countries of origin. Several were minors between the ages of 14 and 17. He had been coordinating transportation with co-conspirators in Mexico, moving aliens using tractor -trailers, box trucks, trains and even horse trailers.

Reyna had also used Facebook to coordinate smuggling operations for the organization, relying on the platform to recruit, manage and communicate with co-conspirators. He routinely paid “scout” drivers to monitor the I-35 checkpoint, report on traffic and weather conditions and recommend the safest lanes to use. Messages revealed Reyna deliberately scheduled smuggling runs during fog, storms, rain and cold temperatures to reduce the likelihood of detection.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Reyna and co-conspirators advised drivers to claim they were enroute to medical appointments to expedite passage through checkpoints. He also designed walking routes through remote brush areas to bypass the checkpoints entirely. Load drivers were instructed to drop off individuals before the checkpoint, forcing them to walk four to five hours before being picked up on the other side.

The San Antonio stash house linked to Reyna had harbored more than 30 illegal aliens awaiting transport. In April 2023, law enforcement apprehended multiple illegal aliens at the location and seized over $56,000 in U.S. currency, 69,000 in Mexican pesos and ammunition.

He was ultimately arrested Nov. 7, 2024, after he had personally picked up suspected aliens at a warehouse in north Laredo. Authorities attempted to pull him over, but he soon led them on a nearly four-minute pursuit, recklessly weaving through traffic before stopping the vehicle, attempting to escape and ordering the passengers to flee on foot. Law enforcement apprehended him and five others, including an unaccompanied minor. All five were illegally present in the United States.

He has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations, BP, Texas Department of Public Safety, Drug Enforcement Administration, Customs and Border Protection, Department of Defense Border Mission, Webb County Precinct 2 Constable’s Office and police departments in Laredo and San Antonio conducted the joint investigation.

The case is the result of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation and coordinated efforts of Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA).

OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.

JTFA is a partnership with Department of Homeland Security. The Attorney General elevated and expanded it with a mandate to target cartels and transnational criminal organizations to eliminate human smuggling and trafficking networks operating in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama and Colombia that impact public safety and the security of our borders. JTFA currently comprises detailees from U.S. Attorneys’ Offices along the southwest border, including the Southern District of California, Districts of Arizona and New Mexico and Western and Southern Districts of Texas. Dedicated support is provided by the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, led by the Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and supported by the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, Office of Enforcement Operations and the Office of International Affairs, among others. JTFA also relies on substantial law enforcement investment from DHS, FBI, DEA and other partners. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 390 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers and significant facilitators of alien smuggling, more than 350 U.S. convictions, more than 300 significant jail sentences imposed and forfeitures of substantial assets.

This case is also 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 and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s OCDETF and Project Safe Neighborhood.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Day prosecuted the case.