Overview
- Raúl Saucedo-Huipio, a 51-year-old resident of Mexicali, was sentenced Tuesday to 87 months in U.S. federal prison after pleading guilty to supervising a migrant-smuggling organization that operated from 2018 to 2022.
- In a related federal case, Isaac Jiménez of San Diego pleaded guilty to taking part in a Tijuana-based kidnapping-for-ransom scheme, agreed to pay $24,500 in restitution and faces up to 15 years in prison.
- Authorities say the conspiracy moved more than 200 migrants from Asia, Africa and the Americas through Mexico into the United States, charging fees of up to tens of thousands of dollars and using robbery, threats and weapons.
- The investigation was led by Homeland Security Investigations in Yuma with support from the Justice Department, Mexican authorities and Interpol, and U.S. Treasury sanctions were imposed on the network in June 2023.
- Prosecutors and advocates warn prosecutions and sanctions have not closed the humanitarian gaps in the case because some victims remain unaccounted for and restitution covers only a fraction of the harms caused.