California woman admits to coordinating human smuggling through Otay Mesa following HSI San Diego, CBP case
SAN DIEGO — A Chula Vista woman pleaded guilty in federal court Dec. 19, admitting that she managed all aspects of a human smuggling operation, including helping place undocumented noncitizens in trunks, coaching drivers to successfully pass through the Otay Mesa Port of Entry, staging noncitizens at a Chula Vista stash house, and helping transport them to their final destinations in the United States. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) investigated the case.
“Human smuggling is driven by greed as the defendant demonstrated in this case,” said HSI San Diego Special Agent in Charge Chad Plantz. “HSI and partnered law enforcement agencies will not stand for this deceitful and often violent act of human smuggling. We are committed to bringing down human smugglers one by one.”
Ericka Aldana, 40, of Chula Vista, confirmed that she recruited at least five drivers, procured vehicles for their use, obtained passports for them, and coached them on how to dress and answer questions from CBP officers. Aldana said she crossed the border in tandem with the drivers to direct them to what she considered the less risky border lanes.
Aldana acknowledged smuggling more than 25 noncitizens during a five-year span, some of whom paid as much as $10,000 to be smuggled into the United States.
“Ms. Aldana avoided getting caught for years, but she could not evade accountability forever,” said U.S. Attorney Tara K. McGrath. “Federal law enforcement brought a carefully choreographed network of cross-border human smuggling to justice today.”
“Human smuggling is a serious and dangerous offense,” said CBP San Diego Director of Field Operations Sidney K. Aki. “This effort was an outstanding demonstration of law enforcement partnership and commitment to dismantling criminal organizations that exploit vulnerable migrants for profit.”
The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced on March 15 at 9 a.m. before U.S. District Judge Cathy Ann Bencivengo.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California is prosecuting the case.
HSI is the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel and finance move. HSI’s workforce of more than 8,700 employees consists of more than 6,000 special agents assigned to 237 cities throughout the United States, and 93 overseas locations in 56 countries. HSI’s international presence represents DHS’ largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.
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