Alamdar Hamdani U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas
A Laredo man has confessed to his involvement in a multi-year conspiracy to smuggle aliens for profit, according to U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. Danny Nunez, 34, admitted to operating and coordinating a smuggling organization in Laredo since March 2023, which facilitated the illegal entry and harboring of hundreds of individuals.
The investigation linked Nunez to several smuggling operations, including an incident on December 2, 2023, where law enforcement discovered over 100 individuals being loaded into a trailer at a warehouse parking lot. A search revealed 101 people locked inside the trailer, among them 12 unaccompanied children. Many reported experiencing breathing difficulties and fearing for their lives due to the conditions.
Juan Manuel Aguirre, 49, also from Laredo, pleaded guilty to his role in the transportation and smuggling activities related to this group.
Upon Nunez's arrest, authorities searched his residence and seized cell phones and ledgers documenting the smuggled individuals. They also found over $36,000 in proceeds and two illegal aliens at the location.
"The road to a secure border runs through the Southern District of Texas," stated Ganjei. "Human smuggling is a terrible practice, one that the Department is focused on eradicating. My advice to those in the human smuggling business is to find a new line of work."
Nunez and Aguirre face potential sentences of up to ten years in prison for conspiracy charges and may be fined up to $250,000 each. They remain in custody awaiting sentencing.
The Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations, FBI, Texas Department of Public Safety, Border Patrol with assistance from Customs and Border Protection, Laredo Police Department, Drug Enforcement Administration, and Webb County Sheriff’s Office. The OCDETF program aims to identify and dismantle high-level criminal organizations threatening the United States using a collaborative approach.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon Scott Bowling is leading the prosecution.
