HSI Nogales, BP efforts land human smuggling coordinators in prison
TUCSON, Ariz. – Last week, two men from Nogales were each sentenced to 45 months in federal prison following an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the United States Border Patrol (BP) Nogales station.
Ian Esteban Serrano, 27, and Marco Antonio Romero, 22, were sentenced by United States District Judge Raner C. Collins to nearly 4 years; a sentence of 37 months was imposed for their role in smuggling undocumented noncitizens into the United States, and a consecutive sentence of eight months was imposed for Serrano’s violation of supervised release from a previous conviction for the same offense in 2016 and Romero’s violation of supervised release from a previous conviction for the same offense in 2019.
“Not only did these human smugglers conspire to undermine our nation’s immigration laws multiple times for their own profit, but did so thinking they would get away with their actions,” said Scott Brown, special agent in charge of HSI Phoenix. “Thanks to the outstanding teamwork between HSI and BP, we were able to hold these smugglers accountable for their actions by spending the next several years behind bars.”
Romero pleaded guilty on June 2, and Serrano pleaded guilty on June 9, both pleading to one count of conspiracy to transport and harbor illegal aliens for profit. Together, Serrano and Romero managed and supervised the human smuggling organization – the co-conspirators coordinated smuggling operations by recruiting drivers and sending them to various locations to pick up or drop off undocumented individuals in the Nogales and Rio Rico communities. Serrano has two prior convictions for the same offense and Romero has one prior conviction for the same offense.
This prosecution resulted from the coordinated efforts of Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA). The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona is part of JTFA, which was established by Attorney General Merrick B. Garland in June 2021 to marshal the investigative and prosecutorial resources of the Department of Justice, in partnership with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), to enhance U.S. enforcement efforts against the most prolific and dangerous human smuggling and trafficking groups operating in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras. The Task Force focuses on disrupting and dismantling smuggling and trafficking networks that abuse, exploit, or endanger migrants, pose national security threats, and are involved in organized crime.
United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
Members of the public who have information about smuggling activity, are urged to call 1-866-347-2423 toll-free, internationally at 001-1802-872-6199, or complete the online tip form.
For additional information about HSI’s investigative efforts, follow @HSIPhoenix.
HSI is the principal investigative arm of 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 over 10,400 employees consists of more than 6,800 special agents assigned to 225 cities throughout the United States, and 86 overseas locations in 55 countries. HSI’s international presence represents DHS’s largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.
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