{"id":2448293,"date":"2025-06-17T09:59:01","date_gmt":"2025-06-17T13:59:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lopez-crime-family-sentenced-for-human-smuggling-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2025-06-17T10:00:13","modified_gmt":"2025-06-17T14:00:13","slug":"lopez-crime-family-sentenced-for-human-smuggling-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lopez-crime-family-sentenced-for-human-smuggling-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Lopez crime family\u2019 sentenced for human smuggling &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Flopez-crime-family-sentenced-for-human-smuggling-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2448293&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article reports on the sentencing of members of the Guatemalan &#8220;Lopez Crime Family&#8221; involved in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/90-migrants-found-in-suspected-smuggling-ring-in-texas\/\" title=\"90+ migrants found in suspected smuggling ring in Texas\">human smuggling operation<\/a> across California, Arizona, and New Mexico. Nine out of ten indicted members have pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges related to bringing and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/exclusive-ols-task-force-takes-down-human-smuggling-operation\/\" title=\"Exclusive: OLS Task Force Dismantles ... Ring\">transporting <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/texas-gop-declares-invasion-at-southern-border\/\" title=\"Texas GOP Declares Invasion at Southern Border\">illegal foreign nationals<\/a><\/a> for profit. The group, led by a fugitive named Lopez-Escobar, conducted operations from Luna County, new Mexico, using money transfer apps to coordinate payments and the movement of undocumented individuals from central America to various locations in the U.S.<\/p>\n<p>Sentences for the guilty individuals vary, with some already being sentenced to prison terms or probation, while others await sentencing. The investigation, led by Homeland Security Investigations along with various <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/oregon-governor-encourages-people-to-call-police-on-neighbors-violating-covid-orders\/\" title=\"Oregon Governor Encourages People To Call Police On Neighbors Violating COVID Orders\">law enforcement agencies<\/a>, highlights the ongoing issue of human smuggling in the U.S., which has intensified in recent years. The article also mentions the recent dismantling of another significant Guatemalan smuggling organization that trafficked around 20,000 individuals into the U.S. over five years.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">&lsquo;Lopez crime family&rsquo; sentenced for human smuggling in California, Arizona, New Mexico<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2150196\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>(The Center Square) &ndash; Another <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/guatemala\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Guatemalan<\/a> human smuggling ring has been busted, this one with major operations in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/arizona\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Arizona<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/california\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"California\">California<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/new-mexico\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">New Mexico<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Nine of 10 members of a Guatemalan Lopez Crime Family human smuggling operation who were indicted in June 2023 have now pleaded guilty to their roles in an extensive &ldquo;alien smuggling&rdquo; conspiracy. All nine admitted to conspiring to bring, harbor and transport groups of illegal foreign nationals into and throughout the U.S. for financial gain, according to court documents.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/3444072\/russia-kyiv-attacks-deadliest-in-months\/\">Russia bombards Kyiv with deadliest attack in months<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/3443969\/byron-donalds-david-jolly-florida-governor-race-ad\/\">Donalds rips Democratic rival in Florida governor race with release of new ad: &#8216;Jolly has lost his mind&#8217;<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/investigations\/3443551\/what-we-know-gaza-humanitarian-foundation-consultants\/\">What we know about the allegedly rogue consultants who ran the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Lopez-Escobar, 47, of Guatemala City, the alleged leader of the Lopez Crime Family, remains a fugitive.<\/p>\n<p>Guatemalan nationals illegally residing in Phoenix involved in the scheme who pleaded guilty include Rosa Adriana Lopez-Escobar, 43; Franklin Leonardo Chilel-Ramirez, 39; Junior Vanegas Portillo and Jose Denilson Lopez Chilel, 26.<\/p>\n<p>Guatemalans illegally living in Long Beach, Calif., who pleaded guilty include Deysi Marisela Lopez-Ambrosio, 27, and Mildred Yanira Lopez-Ambrosio, 23.<\/p>\n<p>Arizona residents who pleaded guilty include Jose Gianluca Lopez-Perez, 21, (Phoenix); Sebastian Rolando Cortez, 22, (Tempe); and Carlos Chavez-Hernandez, 22, (Avondale), according to the charges.<\/p>\n<p>Between October 2021 and April 2023, members of the Lopez human smuggling organization maintained a base of operations out of Luna County, New Mexico, using &ldquo;peer-to-peer money transfer apps to facilitate payments among co-conspirators and instructed others to pick up and move groups of undocumented individuals in exchange for money.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>It involved smuggling Guatemalan nationals north through Mexico into the U.S., arranging for pick-ups in Animas, New Mexico, near the U.S.-Mexico border, and then transporting them to Phoenix and then elsewhere.<\/p>\n<p>Of the nine who pleaded guilty, four have already received sentences. Vanegas Portillo was sentenced to 37 months in prison; Rolando Cortez was sentenced to one year probation; Chavez-Hernandez was sentenced to time served and two years of supervised release; Denilson Lopez Chilel was sentenced to 45 months. The other defendants have yet to be sentenced.<\/p>\n<p>Denilson Lopez Chilel entered a plea deal agreeing &ldquo;to forfeit several items used in furtherance of the conspiracy,&rdquo; including firearms, ammunition, &ldquo;a 2017 Chevrolet Camaro, a 2017 Ford Mustang, a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado and a 2020 Polaris Can-Am Side by Side UTV,&rdquo; according to the charges.<\/p>\n<p>Homeland Security Investigations New Mexico led the investigation supported by HSI-Arizona; the U.S. Attorney&rsquo;s Office for the Central District of California; Border Patrol agents in New Mexico, California and Arizona; U.S. Customs and Border Protection&rsquo;s National Targeting Center\/Operation Sentinel; Montgomery County Sheriff&rsquo;s Office; and the Justice Department&rsquo;s Criminal Division&rsquo;s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section.<\/p>\n<p>The announcement comes one month after one of the largest Guatemalan human smuggling operations in U.S. history was dismantled by federal and <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >local law enforcement officers<\/a>. In this case, leaders of a smuggling group were indicted on charges of smuggling roughly 20,000 Guatemalans into the U.S. over a period of five years, transporting them from Phoenix to Los Angeles and elsewhere, The Center Square&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecentersquare.com\/national\/article_c1b4e7c3-17f2-4215-bb04-7291c4eadb1e.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>One of the leaders is currently incarcerated in Oklahoma for causing a November 2023 car accident that killed seven, authorities said, including three minors in Elk City, Oklahoma. The accident occurred during a smuggling operation when he was transporting illegal foreign nationals from New York to Los Angeles, authorities said. He was arrested and charged in the Western District of Oklahoma.<\/p>\n<p>Four Guatemalan ringleaders were charged with &ldquo;conspiracy to bring aliens to the United States, transporting aliens in the United States, and harboring aliens in the United States for private financial gain and resulting in death,&rdquo; according to the indictment.<\/p>\n<p>Two were also charged with two counts of hostage-taking.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/immigration\/3432029\/deported-guatemalan-immigrant-returned-to-us-after-court-orders\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"DEPORTED GUATEMALAN IMMIGRANT RETURNED TO US AFTER COURT ORDERS\">DEPORTED GUATEMALAN IMMIGRANT RETURNED TO US AFTER COURT ORDERS<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Another was charged with threatening to cut off the heads of an ICE task force officer and his family members.<\/p>\n<p>The smuggling busts were made after a record nearly one million Guatemalans illegally entered the U.S. under the Biden administration, The Center Square&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecentersquare.com\/national\/article_dc315836-988e-11ef-9a93-2b6bca4c8ffe.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported<\/a>.<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thecentersquare.com%2Fnew_mexico%2Farticle_f706f5d0-132b-4a13-b1fd-2ed3f2a3dd88.html%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dfacebook%26utm_campaign%3Duser-share\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_2150196\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"2150196\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Nine members of the Lopez crime family have pleaded guilty to human smuggling in California, Arizona, and New Mexico<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2448294,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/2ce78a9947ea32ef6f2fd41207c37efc-1024x591.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[46194,57307,12447],"class_list":["post-2448293","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-human-smuggling","tag-lopez-crime-family","tag-sentencing"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/2ce78a9947ea32ef6f2fd41207c37efc-1024x591.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2448293","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2448293"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2448293\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2448297,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2448293\/revisions\/2448297"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2448294"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2448293"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2448293"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2448293"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}