Leader of alien smuggling organization sentenced to 51 months in prison

Editor's Note:
This matter occurred on date indicated, but not published at that time due to government shutdown. Press release posted and made available following the return to normal operations.   

HOUSTON – A 22-year-old New Orleans resident has been ordered to federal prison for his role in transporting illegal aliens, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

The jury deliberated for less than an hour before finding Mailon Almendares-Martinez guilty following a three-day trial April 30.

U.S. District Judge Kenneth P. Hoyt has now ordered Almendares-Martinez to serve 51 months in federal prison. Not a U.S. citizen, he is expected to face removal proceedings following his imprisonment. In handing down the sentence, the court noted that Almendares-Martinez maintained a role as an organizer and leader within the conspiracy.  

From Oct. 30 to Nov. 2, 2022, Almendares-Martinez conspired with others to transport illegal aliens from the South Texas border to Houston. He recruited friends and conspirators from New Orleans, Louisiana, offering to pay $1,000 to $2,000 per person and directed the operation through WhatsApp messages and phone calls. 

During one trip, rival smugglers shot at them en route to Houston, wounding two aliens in the arm and leg. After the shooting, Almendares-Martinez told the drivers to return to Houston and not seek medical attention. 

On Nov. 1, 2022, the aliens were brought to a motel in Houston, where they escaped the next day. Authorities arrived at the motel and took Jonathan Melendez-Merino, Oscar Melendez-Sosa, Cristian Mencias-Padilla and Cesar Monge-Milla into custody.

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

Seven others, all from New Orleans, previously pleaded guilty - Melendez-Merino, 22, Melendez-Sosa, 22, Mencias-Padilla, 22, and Monge-Milla, 25, along with Yunior Sorto-Ramirez, 23, Bayron Pineda-Alvarado, 23, and Alan Galvez-Baquedano, 22.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with the assistance of Houston Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Day and Anthony Franklyn prosecuted 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.