Three Tucson men, Saul Parra, Patrick Orozco, and Rafael Gamez-Ramirez, have been indicted for human smuggling.
According to the Department of Justice, beginning around November 2021, Gamez-Ramirez coordinated with Orozco to purchase a parcel of land located in Bisbee, Arizona, to be used to facilitate the transport of undocumented noncitizens into the United States. Orozco bought and placed a recreational vehicle onto the property where undocumented noncitizens waited to be transported. Law enforcement officers pursued and stopped several vehicles leaving the parcel between November 2021 and January 2022. One of the smuggling events resulted in the death of an undocumented noncitizen after a driver lost control of the vehicle on I-10 near Exit 297. Parra participated in the human smuggling conspiracy by loaning his vehicles to drivers in exchange for payment.
A conviction for Conspiring to Transport and Harbor Illegal Aliens for Profit carries a maximum penalty of up to 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release.