In a downtown Phoenix federal courtroom on Monday, 64-year-old Mexicali native Ofelia Hernandez Salas, known in some reports as "Doña Lupe," was sentenced to 11 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to leading a sprawling human-smuggling network that prosecutors say funneled migrants into Arizona. The punishment capped a multiyear prosecution that investigators say targeted people who paid large sums for passage and were often robbed along the way.
Prosecutors Say The Smuggling Pipeline Spanned The Globe
According to a U.S. Department of Justice press release, Hernandez Salas "facilitated the travel of hundreds" of migrants from more than a dozen countries and charged victims tens of thousands of dollars for the trips. Prosecutors said members of the network guided crossings, sometimes using ladders, holes and planks to breach the border, and robbed migrants at gunpoint or with knives during those operations.
Sanctions Hit Mexicali Hotels Tied To The Scheme
The smuggling enterprise was earlier targeted with financial sanctions. The U.S. Department of the Treasury designated Hernandez Salas's transnational criminal organization in 2023 and named two Mexicali hotels as nodes in the scheme, estimating migrants paid between $10,000 and $70,000 for passage. Treasury said the network also used document forgery and corruption to move people north.
Guilty Plea, Extradition And Co-Defendants
Hernandez Salas pleaded guilty in December 2024 to one count of conspiracy and three substantive counts of bringing an alien to the United States for commercial benefit after Mexican authorities arrested and extradited her in 2023. Records from the U.S. Department of Justice show she is subject to deportation after serving her sentence and that at least one co-conspirator remains in custody awaiting sentencing later this year.
What The Case Means For Arizona
Federal officials framed the sentence as part of an ongoing push to dismantle high-impact smuggling networks that present both humanitarian and national-security risks. Prosecutors said Joint Task Force Alpha and partner agencies will keep pursuing organizers who profit from transnational smuggling while continuing investigations in the Phoenix metro and beyond.
