Three sentenced for roles in deadly transnational human smuggling operation following HSTF and JTFA investigation

LAREDO, Texas - More sentences have been imposed in a human smuggling conspiracy that resulted in the death of a Guatemalan man and several other dangerous events, including a rollover crash, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.

Dagoberto Mizzael Flores, 25, Laredo, and Mexican nationals David Alejandro Gomez-Flores, 30, and Martha Angelica Limon Parra, 30, previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transport an illegal alien causing serious bodily injury and resulting in death.

U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo has now imposed a 240-month-term of imprisonment for Gomez-Flores, while Parra and Flores received sentences of 135 months and 60 months, respectively. Not U.S. citizens, Gomez-Flores and Parra are expected to face removal proceedings, while Flores must also serve three years of supervised release following his imprisonment.

At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence describing numerous instances in which aliens transported by the organization had to be "rescued" or were otherwise injured during their journeys. The court also heard evidence regarding Gomez-Flores' involvement with Los Fantasmas, a Laredo-based gang working with Cartel del Noreste to smuggle aliens once they reached the United States. In imposing sentence, Judge Marmolejo emphasized the extensive and lucrative nature of the operation-which involved the movement of thousands of aliens-and each defendant's reckless disregard for human life.

Mexican national Cynthia Gabriela Muniz-Carreon, 31, and Guatemalan national Edy Lima-Flores, 38, also pleaded guilty and were previously sentenced to 135 and 240 months, respectively. Lima Flores was also ordered to pay a $150,000 fine.

All five were part of a transnational human smuggling organization responsible for moving illegal aliens across the southern border of Texas. In one week alone, the organization generated approximately $79,000 in smuggling proceeds.

Authorities identified Muniz-Carreon and Parra as Mexico-based coordinators for the organization. Evidence showed that both participated in a WhatsApp group chat titled "La Oficina," which the organization used to coordinate human smuggling activity. The group maintained detailed ledgers and color-coded spreadsheets.

Although many of the aliens were from Guatemala, the smuggling group instructed them to falsely claim Mexican nationality. This tactic exploited U.S. immigration procedure by ensuring the aliens would be removed to Mexico instead of their home country which made it faster and easier for the organization to smuggle them back into the United States.

Lima-Flores was the organization's Laredo-based transportation coordinator who hired Flores, while Gomez-Flores served as stash house coordinator responsible for receiving aliens from Mexico and illegally harboring them in Laredo. Gomez-Flores had been involved with the organization since at least 2022 and received more than $330,000 for helping conceal and transport aliens illegally.

On July 2, 2024, Flores was driving a Ford F-150 transporting aliens. He fled when authorities attempted a traffic stop. The aliens scattered into the brush, including a Guatemalan national who became separated from the group. The investigation revealed he had repeatedly contacted Lima-Flores and Muniz-Carreon asking for help and sharing his location. Muniz-Carreon told him to stay well hidden and be patient. Authorities later found him deceased. His cause of death was determined to be from heat exhaustion, with temperatures reaching 100 degrees that day.

The investigation also revealed additional smuggling incidents dating back to 2022, including one in which an alien became so weak and delirious that he could no longer walk through the brush. Authorities also linked the same organization to a smuggling event April 19, 2024, that resulted in a rollover crash near Laredo. A Guatemalan alien involved in the crash suffered serious back injuries and required hospitalization.

Gomez-Flores, Parra and Flores have been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations, Laredo Police Department Gang Unit, Border Patrol, Texas Department of Public Safety, Encinal Police Department, Customs and Border Protection and CBP Air and Marine Operations conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer L. Day prosecuted the case.

This operation is now part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of U.S. law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF South Texas comprises agents and officers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Homeland Security Invesitgations; FBI; Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; U.S. Marshals Service; U.S. Postal Inspection Service; Department of Transportation/IRS; Interpol/Department of State and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Texas leading the prosecution.

The investigation and charges are also a result of coordinated efforts of Joint Task Force Alpha, a partnership with Department of Homeland Security which has been elevated and expanded with a mandate to target cartels and transnational criminal organizations to eliminate human smuggling and trafficking networks operating in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama and Colombia that impact public safety and the security of our borders. JTFA currently comprises detailees from U.S. Attorneys' Offices along the southwest border, including the Southern District of California, Districts of Arizona and New Mexico and Western and Southern Districts of Texas. Dedicated support is provided by the Justice Department's Criminal Division, led by the Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and supported by the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, Office of Enforcement Operations and the Office of International Affairs, among others. JTFA also relies on substantial law enforcement investment from DHS, FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration and other partners.

To date, JTFA's work has resulted in more than 455 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers and significant facilitators of alien smuggling and/or trafficking; more than 400 U.S. convictions; more than 350 significant jail sentences imposed and forfeitures of substantial assets.