Texas man sentenced after smuggling thousands of illegal immigrants into the U.S within six months | Law Enforcement Today

HORIZON CITY, TX - A judge has sentenced a West Texas man to several years in prison for organizing a human smuggling operation involving thousands of illegal immigrants. 

According to FOX9, 35-year-old Isai Orona, also known as Panda, was identified as the organizer of the human smuggling scheme. Orona admitted to smuggling over 2,500 illegal immigrants within a six-month period in 2023. Court documents state that many car loads of illegal immigrants were taken to Albuquerque, New Mexico and to other locations. 

Orona also admitted to having a network of drivers to take illegal immigrants in at least 12 vehicles, which he obtained or helped others to obtain. He was identified in WhatsApp communications, which the organization used for coordinating the criminal activity. U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested a co-conspirator who had been transporting nine illegal immigrants in El Paso in a vehicle registered to Orona. 

Orona was arrested on November 20, 2023. He pleaded guilty on July 12, 2024, to one count of conspiracy to transport aliens and one count of transporting aliens. He has been sentenced to 54 months in federal prison. In addition to his prison sentence, the court entered a money judgement against him in the amount of $250,000.

In a separate incident, law enforcement officers recovered several stolen trucks that were allegedly used to smuggle illegal immigrants into the country. According to KGNS, photos released by U.S. Border Patrol show four trucks that officers took after an alleged smuggling case. All the people involved have been arrested. It remains an active investigation.

In Laredo, Texas, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) announced on Thursday, January 23rd, that a man was arrested in connection with a human smuggling operation. According to KGNS, the arrest was made during a joint operation with the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), U.S. Border Patrol's Laredo sector, and the Bexar County Sheriff's Office.

The suspect, identified as Abelardo Herrera, was taken into custody on Wednesday, January 22nd. Hererra is reportedly a part of a smuggling group that operated between Laredo and Bexar County. During the arrest, law enforcement found 16 people who were in the country illegally. HSI said the investigation is ongoing. 

On January 24th, DPS announced the arrest of two more fugitives from Texas' 10 Most Wanted Criminal Illegal Immigrants list. The suspects, Jorge Dionicio Hernandez and Omar David Zavala, were arrested in Houston and Mesquite. Hernandez, 33, is a criminal illegal immigrant from Mexico and has been wanted out of Harris County since January 2022 for indecency with a child by sexual contact.

Back in 2009, Hernandez was convicted of multiple counts of driving while intoxicated in Harris County and was removed from the U.S. In July 2021, he was arrested by the Houston Police Department for providing a false driver license/identification car and bonded out of jail. 

Zavala, 30, is a criminal illegal immigrant from El Salvador and has been wanted out of Harris County since 2022 for sexual assault, terroristic threat, and obstruction/retaliation. In 2014, Zavala was arrested multiple times by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In 2015, he was removed from the U.S. In May 2020, he was arrested by the Houston Police Department for terroristic threat and obstruction/retaliation.