EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – Two men accused of conspiring to transport unauthorized migrants across state lines are scheduled to appear at a hearing Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
The charges stem from a Nov. 22 U.S. Border Patrol pursuit of two vehicles traveling in tandem 35 miles over the speed limit in a construction zone on New Mexico State Road 80 about 30 miles southwest of Lordsburg.
Border agents noticed one of the vehicles was riding low to the ground, which is consistent with carrying an excessive number of passengers. The agents turned on their emergency lights; one of the vehicles came to a sudden stop and the driver and two passengers ran into the desert. Court records show the idling Chevrolet Tahoe SUV left on the side of NM 80 carried two unauthorized migrants in the backseat and four more in the rear cargo area.
A Border Patrol mobile camera system alerted agents to three people walking in the desert near NM 80. The three individuals were found hiding in the bushes and taken into custody.
The alleged driver of the Tahoe, Roman Humberto Sandoval Galindo, a U.S. citizen residing in Sonora, Mexico, told agents he was hired to transport “illegals” from the Sonora-Arizona border to Phoenix for money, court records show. He allegedly told investigators he was going through financial difficulties and was saving money to bring his wife and newborn son, who are Mexican citizens, to the United States.
Sandoval allegedly admitted to having served prison time for a previous conviction involving the transportation of unauthorized non-citizens. He declined to identify the driver of the absconded lead vehicle. However, records show one of his passengers, identified as Jesus Antonio Rios Castro, told investigators the other driver was a man known to him only as “The Coordinator.”
Rios allegedly told authorities Sandoval and The Coordinator recruited him at a bar to “cross chickens” along the U.S.-Mexico border. He stated his role was to stay in telephone contact with The Coordinator while on the way to Phoenix, taking a detour through Western New Mexico. Rios said this was his first time participating in a migrant smuggling attempt, records show.
Sandoval and Rios are facing a federal conspiracy charge. The Coordinator remains at large.
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