A few thousand Arizona teens have been arrested the last two years for serving as drivers in human smuggling activities. And despite the end of Title 42, the need for drivers is not expected to slow down, according to law enforcement officials.
In fact, no reduction is expected for one of the most dangerous types of human smuggling – that which involves foreigners who do not qualify for amnesty due to criminal histories. Instead, officials worry that Mexican cartels will prioritize higher risk entries in the upcoming months to take advantage of overwhelmed and distracted border agents and customs officers.
That means more naïve teens, particularly from Maricopa County, will be targeted by human smuggling organizations. And if there were a poster child for what can go wrong when a teen falls prey to a “go to the border for a quick buck” offer, Matthew Dylan Ramirez of Tempe would be a top contender.
Ramirez, then 18, was arrested in 2021 as a driver in a human smuggling incident during which a young Mexican woman lost her life. He later pleaded guilty to all four counts against him – the most serious being Conspiracy to Transport Illegal Aliens for Profit Resulting in Death.
On May 5, Ramirez was sentenced to four years in the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) followed by four years of supervised release, commonly known as probation. U.S. District Judge Jennifer Zipps allowed Ramirez to remain out of custody with an order that he surrender to the U.S. Marshals by Noon on May 23 to begin his sentence.
But Ramirez, who was considering joining the U.S. Air Force before his arrest, is not done with the court system. He still awaits trial in Pima County on multiple state charges related to the same deadly crash. Those charges include manslaughter.
The ongoing problem of Arizona teens being convicted of human smuggling crimes has prompted a high-ranking member of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) to beseech parents to address the issue with their children.
“In law enforcement, but more so as a parent, nothing stings as much as witnessing a young member of society make an avoidable decision that will forever change their lives,” Leo Lamas told Arizona Daily Independent.
Lamas is the deputy special agent in charge for HSI Tucson. He has been involved in hundreds of investigations since January 2021 involving teens who do not understand the risks and consequences of human smuggling.
Such criminal activity frequently ends in serious injury, even death, as Ramirez learned. And it is preventable if parents take the initiative to broach the subject with their children.
“The lure of making a quick buck will always interest people, but if there is anything I can relay to those who think participating in human smuggling is a victimless crime, I would say, the money is just not worth it,” Lamas said. “Parents, talk to your family members about the dangers of participating in these schemes which are perpetrated by members of organized crime.”
Court records show Maria Gonzalez-Nunez and two other Mexican nationals were guided on foot by Jesus Oracio Madrid-Varela through the desert into Arizona on May 22, 2021. All four got into Ramirez’s vehicle.
Ramirez was to transport the Mexicans to a location near a USBP checkpoint. The passengers would exit in order to walk around the checkpoint. They would then get back in the car to be driven to the Phoenix area where Ramirez would receive $1,000.
But Ramirez came to the attention of a Tohono O’odham police officer for speeding on Federal Route 15 near Quijotoa. Before a traffic stop could be conducted, the driver hit speeds over 100 mph, eventually losing control of the car on a curve in a 55 mph zone.
Ramirez was found belted into the driver’s seat. USBP agents and TOPD officers quickly located the four passengers who had been ejected when the vehicle rolled multiple times.
One of those was Gonzalez-Nunez, age 18, who was pronounced deceased at the scene. None of the Mexicans had utilized seatbelts.
Ramirez spent several months in pretrial custody before he was able to arrange release on a $25,0000 bond with a GPS ankle monitor. He pleaded guilty in 2022
and remained out of custody awaiting sentencing, which could have involved life in prison.
In advocating for her client to receive probation instead of prison time, Greta Vietor of the Federal Public Defender called the matter “a tragic and difficult case because a young woman, who was seeking a better life here in the United States, lost her life in a car accident during her pursuit of that dream.”
According to Vietor, Ramirez had never been involved with transporting undocumented aliens. It was also his first time being arrested.
“Unfortunately, no amount of remorse or prayer, or time in prison will bring her back,” Vietor argued to Zipps. “The community could benefit by Matthew being ordered to do a substantial amount of community service hours to give back to the community and for something positive to come out of this tragedy.”
However, Assistant U.S. Attorney Josh A.C. Ackerman pushed for a 7.25-year term on the federal charges. He pointed out that not only did Gonzalez-Nunez die, but the other passengers “were seriously injured.” Members of the public, including law enforcement officers, were also put at risk due to the high speeds, he noted.
Zipps rejected both a long sentence and the probation option. She also ordered that the four years Ramirez must serve for the federal case run concurrently, or at the same time, as any sentence to be imposed in the Pima County manslaughter case.
For his part, Madrid-Varela pleaded guilty last year to one count of Conspiracy to Transport Illegal Aliens for Profit resulting in death. He received a BOP sentence of 2.5 years followed by four years supervised release.
Court records show Madrid-Varela had been apprehended in the U.S. seven times for various crimes between October 2020 and the deadly incident in May 2021.