Texan sentenced for attempting to smuggle over 80 people on multiple occasions

LAREDO, Texas – A 45-year-old Rio Bravo resident has been ordered to federal prison following his conviction for conspiring to transport aliens within the country for a profit, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick.

Jose Reyes Ipina Jr. pleaded guilty Feb. 3, 2020.

Today, U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo handed Ipina a 57-month term of imprisonment to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard additional information including evidence detailing his involvement in prior alien smuggling trips and his role as a recruiter/organizer in the alien smuggling organization.

The investigation revealed that on Nov. 8, 2019, a smuggling operation was taking place at a truck yard of Texas Highway 359 near Ranch Road in Laredo. Authorities spotted Ipina in his truck at a nearby store around the same time of the potential smuggling event. They also noticed a white tractor-trailer combination departing the truck yard and heading north on Interstate Highway 35 until stopping at a Border Patrol (BP) checkpoint for inspection.

There, a K-9 alerted to the presence of contraband. The driver – later identified as Alfredo Gutierrez Jr. – and the tractor-trailer were referred to secondary inspection where law enforcement found 29 illegal aliens hidden in the rear of his trailer. 

A search of Gutierrez’s phone revealed he had been in contact with Ipina.

The ensuing investigation later tied Ipina a prior smuggling event in June 2019 at the Interstate Highway 35 BP checkpoint. At the time of that offense, authorities discovered a total of 52 aliens hidden inside the tractor-trailer.

On June 30, Gutierrez, 43, Laredo, was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison for his role in the conspiracy.

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

Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with the assistance of BP. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul A. Harrison prosecuted the case.