Source: Office of United States Attorneys
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 31-year-old South Texan has been ordered to federal prison for illegally smuggling dozens of people into the United States on two separate occasions, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Joe Adam Escobedo pleaded guilty Sept. 26, 2024.
U.S. District Judge David Morales has now ordered him to serve 57 months in each case to run concurrently. He was also ordered to serve an additional 12 months to run consecutively for a total of 69 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. In handing down the sentence, the court noted the fact that Escobedo committed the second offense with 42 aliens and it was the very thing for which he had been on bond and imposed the consecutive sentence.
“The Southern District of Texas will vigorously pursue alien smuggling cases, given the risk they pose both to the persons smuggled as well as the public at large,” said Ganjei. “Tractor trailer smuggling can be especially hazardous, given the confined space and the unpredictable Texas weather. All it would have taken is a refrigeration malfunction for this smuggling scheme to have turned deadly.”
On April 12, 2024, Escobedo approached the Falfurrias Border Patrol checkpoint driving a tractor-trailer. He claimed he was heading to Michigan and was hauling pineapples in the trailer. Authorities referred him to secondary inspection after a K-9 alerted to the tractor where they ultimately found seven illegal aliens from El Salvador and Mexico hidden in the sleeper area of the tractor.
He was charged with alien smuggling but permitted release upon posting bond.
Then again, on June 11, 2024, Escobedo drive a refrigerated tractor trailer to the came checkpoint. During primary inspection, law enforcement noticed Escobedo gripping the steering wheel firmly and displaying signs of nervousness and referred him again to secondary inspection. Agents scanned the trailer and observed several anomalies in the trailer.
They then discovered a total of 42 additional people from the countries of Ecuador, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Mexico. All were found to be illegally in the United States.
Escobedo will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Customs and Border Protection conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Yasmine K. Tucker prosecuted the case.