District of Arizona Charges 112 Individuals for Immigration-Related Criminal Conduct this Week (DOJ)

PHOENIX, Ariz. - During the week of enforcement operations from Jan. 3 through Jan. 9, 2026, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 112 individuals. Specifically, the United States filed 62 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 38 aliens for illegally entering the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States filed 8 cases against 12 individuals responsible for smuggling illegal aliens into and within the District of Arizona.

These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

Recent matters of interest include:

United States v. Jose Antonio Martinez-Alarcon. Martinez-Alarcon was charged by complaint with Re-entry of Removed Alien, Jan. 5, 2026. The defendant was previously removed from the United States on April 8, 2014, after being convicted of Conspiracy to Possess Dangerous Drugs for Sale (Methamphetamine), a felony, in the Superior Court of Arizona, Maricopa County. In that case, Martinez-Alarcon was sentenced to five years of imprisonment. 26-6002MJ, Phoenix.

United States v. Luis Alberto Diaz-Galdamez and Placido Geronimo Gonzales-Carmona. Diaz-Galdamez and Gonzales-Carmona were charged with Conspiracy to Transport Illegal Aliens for Profit, Jan.7, 2026. As charged in the complaint, Border Patrol agents using camera technology observed a group of suspected illegal aliens cross the international border near Douglas, Arizona. Agents responded and saw a vehicle pulling away from the last known location of the aliens. Agents followed and initiated a vehicle stop at which point the vehicle failed to yield. Agents pursued and, ultimately, used a vehicle immobilization device to stop the vehicle. Galdamez was the driver, and Gonzales was the front seat passenger. Two illegal aliens were discovered in the back seat of the vehicle. 26-MJ-07065-JEM, Tucson.

A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

RELEASE NUMBER: 2026-004_Jan 9 Immigration Enforcement

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