Two Guatemalan nationals have been sentenced to federal prison for their involvement in a kidnapping and human smuggling scheme in Albuquerque. According to court records, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) received a report on March 1, 2025, about a family being extorted for ransom with threats of violence and cartel involvement.
FBI agents traced the ransom calls to a residence in southwest Albuquerque and executed a search warrant at the location. Inside, they found 11 undocumented immigrants from Guatemala, including an unaccompanied minor. Authorities also recovered more than 20 cell phones and a ledger documenting smuggling activity.
The two men identified as captors, Isaias David Jose and Tomas Mateo Gaspar, were found to have locked the victims in rooms, confiscated their shoes and phones, and threatened them with violence. Both Jose and Gaspar pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transport and harbor illegal aliens.
Jose was sentenced to 22 months in prison while Gaspar received an 18-month sentence. After serving their sentences, both will be subject to deportation.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison stated: "First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today."
The investigation was conducted by the FBI's Albuquerque Field Office with assistance from the Department of Homeland Security. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Mysliwiec under Operation Take Back America—a national initiative aimed at countering illegal immigration, eliminating cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protecting communities from violent crime perpetrators.
There is no parole in the federal system.
