LAREDO, Texas - A 52-year-old resident of Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, has been ordered to federal prison following his conviction of conspiracy to transport illegal aliens, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick. Jose Antonio Camacho-Partida pleaded guilty Nov. 1, 2017.
Today, visiting U.S. Appellate Judge Kimberly Moore handed Camacho-Partida a 92-month sentence. Not a U.S. citizen, he is expected to face deportation proceedings following the sentence.
On the late evening of July 31, 2017, Border Patrol (BP) received information that a pickup truck with several subjects onboard was observed inside a ranch in Webb County. Upon their arrival, agents discovered the lock to the main gate had been cut. A pilot with a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) aerial unit located the vehicle and relayed that the pickup’s driver had exited the truck and cut the lock to another gate inside the property. The driver was later identified as Camacho-Partida.
Authorities then converged on the truck as it approached their position. Camacho-Partida attempted to get away, driving through a barbed wire fence at a high rate of speed and crashing into a tree. He ran from the truck as did additional suspects. Camacho and 12 others subjects were apprehended. All were determined to be undocumented aliens.
Camacho admitted he was hired to smuggle aliens through the ranch to avoid a Border Patrol (BP) checkpoint. He expected to be paid between $3,000 and $4,000 to smuggle the aliens to San Antonio.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigations with the assistance of CBP and BP. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Bukiewicz is prosecuting the case.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
