WASHINGTON, DC – A 32-year-old Mexican national was extradited to the U.S. after her arrest in Mexico Jan. 16, facing federal charges for her alleged involvement in an international human smuggling conspiracy from November 2020 to September 2023.
Known as “Moni,” the accused was surrendered to U.S. authorities in connection with a case filed in the Western District of Texas. During her initial appearance, the indictment against her was unsealed.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the charges against the accused include conspiracy to smuggle migrants into the United States at unauthorized entry points and bringing migrants to the U.S. for commercial profit. If convicted, she faces up to 10 years in prison per count.
The indictment alleges the accused and others brought migrants to the U.S. illegally for financial gain. The operation spanned multiple years, and the accused allegedly worked with individuals to transport migrants through dangerous routes, circumventing designated ports of entry.
The accused “conspired with others to bring and attempt to bring migrants to the United States illegally for commercial advantage and private financial gain” stated the U.S. Department of Justice.
According to DOJ, Joint Task Force Alpha (JFTA) was created to “combat the rise in prolific and dangerous smuggling emanating from Central America,” with key attention on “networks that endanger, abuse, or exploit migrants, present national security risks, or engage in other types of transnational organized crime.”
JFTA has successfully facilitated increased collaboration between many U.S. law enforcement agencies, such as the Department of Homeland Security, and foreign law enforcement agencies in Central American countries.
The DOJ stated multiple federal agencies have “targeted organizations that impacted and coordinated significant human smuggling indictments” across the U.S.
DOJ added the program has gained support from the southwest border of the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and “numerous components of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division that are part of the JTFA.”
The Extraterritorial Criminal Travel Strike Force (ECT), a partnership program between the Justice Department Criminal Division and the HSI focused on human smuggling networks, also supports the investigation.
