A Guatemalan national, Edwin Alfredo Barrientos-Mateo, 23, known as “Waches,” was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for his role in alien smuggling and taking a family hostage in Austin, where nine illegal aliens were forcibly held. Authorities discovered that the victims included a man, a pregnant woman, and their seven-year-old child, and the smugglers demanded a $21,000 ransom, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Barrientos-Mateo pleaded guilty on November 4, 2024, to conspiracy to commit hostage taking, concluding his trial, while his accomplice, Nelson Abilio Castro-Zelaya, was previously sentenced to 180 months. The case, overseen by Chief U.S. District Judge Alia Moses, exposed the serious criminal and human rights violations involved in the smuggling operation, as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
"Alien smuggling organizations care nothing about the hopes and dreams of those they smuggle," said U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas. "When they look at an illegal alien, all they see is a dollar sign. Do not trust them with your life because the only life they really care about is their own." A joint operation by Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Border Patrol, the Texas Department of Public Safety, and several local police departments led to the arrest and sentencing of Barrientos-Mateo and Castro-Zelaya. Other co-defendants are still awaiting sentencing, and authorities continue to investigate and prosecute human smuggling cases, as stated by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
