The leader of a human smuggling organization was sentenced this month to approximately one year of prison for every human being she trafficked.
Maria Mendoza-Mendoza aka “La Guera”, 52, of Honduras, was sentenced to 120 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Mendoza-Mendoza pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Transport Illegal Aliens for Profit.
Mendoza-Mendoza was the leader of a smuggling organization that smuggled over 100 migrants from Honduras to the United States. As the leader, she coordinated the movement of migrants from Honduras to the United States/Mexico border and to stash houses operated in Phoenix, Arizona, where the migrants would be detained until their smuggling fees were paid. The organization utilized funnel accounts to collect millions of dollars in smuggling fees. Mendoza-Mendoza exercised her authority within the organization to assess punitive sanctions—she threatened to “bleed out” a guide as punishment and demanded that a migrant whose family did not pay his smuggling fee be thrown “back in the desert.”
Mendoza-Mendoza was indicted in January 2018 and extradited from Honduras to the United States in June 2023. In determining Mendoza-Mendoza’s sentence, Judge Collins found that the conspiracy involved several aggravating factors, including smuggling unaccompanied minors, possession of a firearm, intentionally or recklessly creating a substantial risk of death, and detaining migrants through coercion or threat in connection with a demand for payment.
“….to stash houses operated in Phoenix, Arizona, where the migrants would be detained until their smuggling fees were paid.”
Is that not kidnapping??
Does anyone ever proofread what they write? Or is that too much like responsible journalism?