On April 2, Ivan Mauricio Hernandez-Mosqueda, a 32-year-old Mexican national from Penjamo, Guanajuato, Mexico, was sentenced to 46 months in prison for his role in a human smuggling operation. The sentence was issued by United States District Judge Krissa M. Lanham after Hernandez-Mosqueda pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges for helping Mexican nationals enter the United States illegally, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Investigations into Hernandez-Mosqueda's operations revealed that he was involved in smuggling over 100 people into the United States through Arizona. Federal agents started tracking this activity in 2023, noting several cases where Mexican nationals crossed the border illegally and claimed asylum, often based on instructions from Hernandez-Mosqueda. In the town of Penjamo, Hernandez-Mosqueda was known for directing people to Sonoyta, Sonora, Mexico, where his associates would then smuggle them across the border, as reported by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Hernandez-Mosqueda used social media platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp to connect with people who had previously used his services. He coordinated their illegal entry into the U.S. and advised them on how to fraudulently navigate the asylum process. The case, identified as CR-24-00820-PHX-KML, was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stuart Zander and Matthew Doyle. The investigation was led by the U.S. Border Patrol’s Sector Intelligence Unit, focusing on challenges related to human smuggling and fraudulent asylum claims, as stated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
