An illegal Salvadoran immigrant, Juan Alonso Barrientos-Quintanilla, has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for his involvement in a fatal human smuggling operation in Southwest Texas. The sentence was handed down by a federal judge on March 25. The investigation into the incident was led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) with support from the U.S. Border Patrol Del Rio Sector and the Texas Department of Public Safety.
"The tragic loss of life in human smuggling operations is a harsh reminder of the dangerous nature of these criminal activities. ICE HSI will continue to work relentlessly to dismantle these networks and prevent further violence, ensuring that those responsible are held fully accountable,” stated Craig Larrabee, ICE Homeland Security Investigations San Antonio Special Agent in Charge.
Court documents revealed that Barrientos-Quintanilla was captured as one of 12 illegal immigrants who escaped from one of two vehicles involved in the botched smuggling attempt on Highway 277 on March 15, 2021. The first vehicle, driven by Sebastian Tovar, crashed and resulted in the deaths of eight out of nine passengers. After this crash, U.S. Border Patrol agents pursued the second vehicle used for smuggling. This pursuit led to an attempted traffic stop and subsequent foot chase during which Barrientos-Quintanilla and others were apprehended.
Initially claiming to be among those being smuggled, Barrientos-Quintanilla later confessed to being the driver of the load vehicle. He entered a guilty plea on July 23, 2023, for aiding and abetting illegal alien transportation resulting in death.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Banister from the Western District of Texas.
