A San Antonio woman who helped run a multimillion‑dollar human‑smuggling ring moving illegal aliens from Eagle Pass to the Alamo City was sentenced to 132 months in federal prison. The sentencing follows her conviction for the death of a smuggled illegal alien who died in a packed trailer and was dumped in a ditch near her property, the Justice Department announced.
Federal prosecutors say 36‑year‑old Erica Aracely Carmona helped coordinate a smuggling pipeline that moved more than 500 illegal aliens and generated over $4.7 million in revenue during the Biden-era border crisis. The Texas woman bought a Von Ormy, Texas, property with smuggling profits and used custom trailers and hidden compartments to move illegal aliens.
“The loss of life in this case is a stark reminder that human smuggling is not just a crime—it is a deadly threat to our communities and those seeking a better future,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge John A. Pasciucco, HSI San Antonio. “Carmona’s sentencing demonstrates that HSI and our partners will relentlessly pursue and dismantle criminal organizations that prioritize profit over human life.”
Prosecutors said Carmona was a member of an Alien Smuggling Organization (ASO) that was responsible for the smuggling of more than 500 illegal aliens in the first year of the Biden Border Crisis, January 2021 to July 2022. During that period, they ASO generated more than $4.7 million in illicit proceeds from the smuggling of humans, frequently under inhumane conditions.
“Throughout their operation, the ASO used custom-made ‘tow-behind’ trailers to transport illegal aliens,” DOJ officials reported. “The ASO had begun to use an 18-wheeler with a false compartment inside the tractor-trailer that held up to 40 aliens, but that trailer was interdicted by federal law enforcement on the first smuggling attempt.”
A gravel trailer with a hidden compartment used by human smugglers. (U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas)
An illustration of the cruelty of their smuggling operation came to light with the discovery of the body of an illegal alien who died on May 30, 2021. A few days earlier, a driver towing a trailer with a hidden compartment transported a load of human cargo from Eagle Pass, Texas, to San Antonio. When the driver arrived, they discovered the alien near death in the trailer compartment. He died about an hour later, prosecutors stated, and the smugglers dumped his lifeless body into a ditch located a few miles from the property owned by Carmona that was used for their human smuggling operation.
“Alien smuggling organizations and Mexican cartels will always value profit over human lives, and illegal aliens are routinely placed in extremely dangerous situations during their journey, often resulting in death,” said U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas, Justin R. Simmons. “In San Antonio, we’ve seen firsthand how dangerous it can be to transport humans in trailers of any kind, especially tractor-trailers. While we mourn the life lost in this case, the amazing work done by federal law enforcement to shut down this criminal organization and their continued use of a tractor-trailer no doubt saved lives in the long run.”
Law enforcement arrested Carmona on August 23, 2022, and she pleaded guilty on December 9, 2022.
This week, the judge in Del Rio, Texas, sentenced Carmona to 231 months in federal prison and assessed a money judgment of $955,350 on the charge of conspiracy to transport illegal aliens resulting in death.
“On May 1, 2025, co-defendant Miguel Angel Rivera was sentenced to 216 months with credit for time served,” the DOJ added. “Additional co-defendants Pedro Luis Martinez-Jaquez and Jose Eduardo Rodriguez Moreno are scheduled to be sentenced in March. Chief U.S. District Judge Alia Moses presides over the case.”
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 also serves as president of Blue Wonder Gun Care Products.
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