A Mexicali woman who orchestrated a massive, multi-year human smuggling operation along the Arizona border was sentenced to 11 years in federal prison on Monday.
Ofelia Hernandez Salas, 64, led a criminal network that paid migrants tens of thousands of dollars to reach the United States, frequently subjecting them to gunpoint robberies along the way.
According to court records, Hernandez Salas enabled the unlawful immigration of hundreds of people from over a dozen nations, including Pakistan, Russia, Egypt, and Brazil. Her organization used a variety of means to circumvent border protection, including providing ladders to scale fences and planks to cross streams.
Despite the substantial fees paid by the migrants, the inquiry revealed that Hernandez Salas and her companions frequently robbed those they were smuggling at gunpoint or with knives, stealing cash, mobile phones, and personal things.
Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division stated that the scope of the operation presented a major threat to national security.
“Not only did she take away the ability to properly vet these people from immigration authorities, she and her co-conspirators also robbed these people of their personal belongings,” Duva said. He stressed that the defendant’s actions created “mortal danger” in an already dangerous crossing.
The case was led by Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA), a joint initiative between the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security aimed at dismantling transnational criminal organizations.
Timothy Courchaine, United States Attorney for the District of Arizona, stated that the prosecution symbolizes the everyday work being done to protect the southern border. “This investigation and prosecution exemplify the work that is being done every day in the District of Arizona… to secure our nation’s southern border and protect the American people,” Courchaine stated.
Hernandez Salas was detained in Mexico in March 2023 and then extradited to the United States. She pleaded guilty in late 2024 to conspiracy and many counts of transporting aliens to the United States for financial benefit. A co-conspirator, Raul Saucedo-Huipio, has already pled guilty and is set to be sentenced next month. Hernandez Salas will be deported to Mexico immediately after serving her prison sentence.
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