U.S. Attorney’s Office Western District of Texas press release
An Eagle Pass man was sentenced in federal court in Del Rio to 212 months in prison for conspiracy to harbor illegal aliens causing serious bodily injury and placing lives in jeopardy.
According to court documents, Juan Antonio Flores, 36, coordinated smuggling trips for an alien smuggling organization, making $4,000 per alien smuggled from Mexico to San Antonio. The aliens were often transported to Austin, where co-conspirator Pedro Ruiz Gonzalez would receive them. Flores and Gonzalez worked together on 15 to 20 illegal alien smuggling events. Another co-conspirator, Armando Garcia-Martinez, also known as “Leche,” served as a driver for Flores and Gonzalez and undertook an average of two to three smuggling trips per week.
As part of one smuggling event, the organization took a family of illegal aliens hostage and repeatedly demanded payments from their relatives through electronic wire transfers. The family consisted of a man, a pregnant woman and their 7-year-old child. On July 9, 2023, a relative paid at least $1,000 to the organization because of threats made toward the family. The group continued to demand payments to different accounts as a condition of the family’s release.
Flores was named in a six-count indictment on April 24, 2024, and was arrested June 12, 2024. He pleaded guilty Oct. 7, 2024.
Co-defendants Edwin Alredo Barrientos-Mateo, also known as “Waches,” and Nelson Abilio Castro-Zelaya were sentenced to 360 months and 180 months in prison, respectively. All other co-defendants have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing. Chief U.S. District Judge Alia Moses presided over the case.
ICE Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Border Patrol and the Texas Department of Public Safety investigated the case with assistance from the Eagle Pass Police Department, Austin Police Department, Houston Police Department and the Comal County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brett Miner prosecuted the case.
