A Phoenix man has been handed a six-year prison sentence for his role as a coordinator in a human smuggling operation. Jesus Alexandro Sanchez-Armenta, 23, pleaded guilty to the charge of Conspiracy to Transport Illegal Aliens for Profit earlier this year.
According to a press release by the U.S. Attorney's Office, Sanchez-Armenta was involved in a scheme where he and his co-conspirators used social media platforms, including Snapchat, to pick up undocumented noncitizens in Southern Arizona. He, provided the co-conspirators with GPS coordinates and transportation routes to evade law enforcement. The operation aimed at smuggling individuals further into the United States for financial gain.
The investigation was a collaboration between Homeland Security Investigations–Casa Grande and Customs and Border Protection’s United States Border Patrol–Tucson Sector. Post-investigation, the case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stuart Zander of the District of Arizona, Phoenix.
In February 2024, Sanchez-Armenta admitted his involvement in the conspiracy. Following his guilty plea, United States District Judge Diane J. Humetewa sentenced Sanchez-Armenta last month to a term of 72 months in prison paired, with five years of supervised release. The sentence reflects the serious nature of the crimes and the judiciary's stance on human smuggling activities.
