In exchange for a plea of guilty, a federal judge in San Antonio sentenced a Honduran illegal alien to ten years in prison for his role in leading a human smuggling organization that brought nearly 3,000 migrants into the United States without authorization. The judge also fined the Honduran national $4,500.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas charged Enil Edil Mejia-Zuniga, a 34-year-old Honduran national, with smuggling thousands of illegal aliens into the U.S. for financial gain. Officials say the defendant and his co-conspirators made millions of dollars by smuggling nearly 3,000 illegal aliens into the United States. The smuggling incidents took place between November 2020 and March 2023.
“The Mejia-Zuniga alien smuggling organization (ASO) smuggled aliens from Afghanistan, Yemen, Egypt, India, Pakistan, and Colombia, through Eagle Pass, Texas,” prosecutors stated. “Aliens primarily contracted with a Pakistani smuggler based in Brazil to be transported to the United States. In turn, the Brazilian-based smuggler worked with Mejia-Zuniga, who was based in San Antonio, Texas, to facilitate the travel of the aliens from South America to the United States. Mejia-Zuniga directed operations of the ASO and paid drivers, armed ‘coyotes,’ and stash house operators.”
Officials say the organization charged between $6,500 and $12,000 per person to bring them illegally into the United States. Mejia-Zuniga admitted to being paid $30,000 for every ten illegal aliens he smuggled through Mexico to the Rio Grande and an additional $30,000 for every ten that made it to San Antonio.
The statement from the U.S. Attorney adds:
One of the smuggled aliens reported paying the organization $20,000 to be brought illegally into the United States along with his brother. The Mejia-Zuniga ASO directed that alien to a stash house in Monterrey, Mexico, where it housed him with 10 other aliens. The ASO later moved the same alien to a stash house in Piedras Negras, Mexico, with another 20 to 25 aliens. Ultimately, an armed coyote guided the group of aliens across the Rio Grande River. Once across the Rio Grande, the Mejia-Zuniga ASO transported the aliens to a hotel in San Antonio.
Mejia-Zuniga pleaded guilty to three counts of aiding and abetting and bringing an alien to the United States. For that, the judge sentenced him to ten years in federal prison and a fine of $4,500. As he is an illegal alien from Honduras, he will likely be deported upon his release from prison.
Officials stated:
“In an effort to satisfy his greed, Mejia-Zuniga facilitated the illegal movement of thousands of Middle Easterners into the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas. “His actions put our national security at risk. However, thanks to our many federal law enforcement partners, Mejia-Zuniga will no longer be allowed to enrich himself to the detriment of this country.”
“This sentence sends a clear message to those who exploit our immigration system for personal profit,” said Special Agent in Charge Craig Larrabee of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) San Antonio. “For more than three years, these individuals operated a transnational smuggling ring driven by greed, moving illegal aliens from 11 countries in blatant disregard of the law. The sentencing in this case is a testament to HSI’s commitment to upholding national security. Human smuggling undermines the security of our borders and disrupts lawful immigration processes. HSI will continue to work tirelessly to protect our national security.”
“United States Border Patrol’s (USBP) Intelligence and Information Task Force played a critical role in supporting Operation Red Tide through extensive research and analysis,” said Scott Good, Chief of USBP Law Enforcement Operations Directorate. “Our team’s exploitation of subpoena returns and identification of key financial patterns helped bring these smugglers to justice. The USBP will continue working with law enforcement agencies at home and abroad to dismantle criminal networks and secure our nation’s borders.”
The DOJ reported the following regarding Mejia-Zuniga’s co-defendants:
Co-defendants Monica Hernandez-Palma, 33, of Mexico, and Allyson Elsires Alvarez-Zuniga, 26, of Honduras, entered guilty pleas on April 7, 2025, and Aug. 21, 2023, respectively, and are awaiting sentencing. Co-defendant Genyi Arguenta-Flores, 32, of Comayagua, Honduras was sentenced to five years in prison on May 12. A final co-defendant is in custody in Mexico pending an extradition request from the United States.
The arrests are part of Operation Red Tide and Operation Take Back America. Participating agencies included: U.S. Border Patrol Del Rio Sector, HSI Monterrey, HSI Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C., and U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s National Targeting Center International Interdiction Task Force.
Bob Price is the Breitbart Texas-Border team’s associate editor and senior news contributor. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Price is a regular panelist on Fox 26 Houston’s What’s Your Point? Sunday morning talk show. He is a U.S. Air Force veteran and serves as president of Blue Wonder Gun Care Products.
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