A Mexican woman pleaded guilty before a United States court this Wednesday to running a human trafficking network that charged migrants large sums of money to facilitate a journey that culminated in their illegal entry into the North American country.
According to a statement from the Department of Justice, Ofelia Hernández Salas, 63, led a “prolific” network that brought migrants from all over the world to the United States and, in addition to charging them “tens of thousands” of dollars, often stole more from them. money and their belongings together with armed accomplices.
Hernández Salas, who will be sentenced on March 10, 2025, faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison for the crime of conspiracy to bring foreigners to the US and three for bringing a foreigner to the US to obtain commercial benefits, of which has pleaded guilty.
Last year, the Treasury Department sanctioned the network and its leader, allegedly linked to the Sinaloa cartel, and indicated at that time that the organization charged migrants between $10,000 and $70,000 and that since 2018 illegally introduced “thousands” into USA.
A federal grand jury in Arizona indicted the woman in 2021, after which she was arrested in 2023 in Mexicali and extradited to the United States that same year.
According to the statement on his guilty plea, the network led by Hernández Salas facilitated the illegal entry into the US of more than 100 migrants, mainly from Latin American countries but also Asian and African countries.
According to this information, the network told migrants where to cross at the border between Mexico and the United States, even providing them with a ladder to jump over the fence, but Hernández Salas and his accomplices also robbed the victims by carrying “weapons and knives.” ”.
“Human smugglers are ruthless: they lie, steal, and put their victims in grave danger, imposing death and devastation on our region,” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas was quoted as saying.
With information from EFE.
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