McALLEN, Texas – A couple accused of operating a human smuggling operation responsible for transporting 2,500 people has been sentenced to federal prison.
Luis Enrique Moctezuma-Acosta, 37, and Scarlett Fuentes-Gavarrette, 34, pleaded guilty in March to charges related to laundering $2.9 million and human smuggling.
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They were sentenced this week to 20 years in federal prison. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas said Acosta and Fuentes-Gavarrette, who are married, are Mexican nationals who illegally resided in Mission. They will face removal proceedings following their sentences.
“Let this serve as a stark warning: those who exploit vulnerable individuals for profit will face the full force of the law. We will not rest until every corner of these criminal enterprises is exposed and dismantled, ensuring the safety and dignity of our communities,” U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani said.
The Department of Justice said its investigation into Moctezuma-Acosta and Fuentes-Gavarrette’s sophisticated migrant smuggling network was a years-long endeavor. In November 2019, the network transported approximately 300 undocumented migrants along the couple’s network that connected from Honduras and ran as far north as Boston, Massachusetts.
The DOJ said the network transported primarily Brazilian people via commercial aircraft, 18-wheelers and other methods.
Federal authorities executed a search warrant in March 2023 at the couple’s properties where they seized more than $1.5 million in cash. What was seized, officials said, included a home and a car dealership that was allegedly operated as a front business. In total, authorities said they seized more than $2.5 million in assets, luxury vehicles, jewelry and land.
“The organization had referred to them as ‘products’ and abandoned some in the harsh conditions of the brush without food or water, resulting in the death of one,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office stated in a press release.
Two other family members also pleaded guilty for their roles in a separate but connected illegal operation.
Elizabeth Acosta, 52, and Keysi Fuentes-Gavarrette, 27, pleaded guilty to a money laundering charge.