Human smuggler heads to federal prison for fatal smuggling event

McALLEN, Texas – A 23-year-old Mexican national has been sentenced for alien smuggling resulting in death, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

Jose Guadalupe Antonio-Arredondo pleaded guilty April 3.

Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane has now ordered Antonio-Arredondo to serve 30 months in federal prison. Not a U.S. citizen, he is expected to face removal proceedings following his imprisonment.

Antonio-Arredondo admitted to assisting in the smuggling of an illegal alien July 12, 2024, by acting as a river guide. He led the illegal alien and a brush guide across the river to the border wall, then returned to Mexico.

After crossing, the illegal alien had trouble breathing and collapsed. The brush guide fled to a nearby house to hide from law enforcement. Authorities found the alien and took him to a hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased July 17, 2024.

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

Border Patrol conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Devin V. Walker is prosecuting the case.

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 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 and Project Safe Neighborhood.