Violent human smuggling stash house operation leads to significant federal prison sentences

McALLEN, Texas - Four individuals have been sentenced for harboring aliens, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.

Abel Cavazos, 45, Mission; Rodrigo Acevedo, 24, and Darrel Palomares 24, all of Donna; and Jesus Valdez, 23, San Juan, pleaded guilty at varying times in early 2021.

Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane has now ordered Cavazos to serve a total of 63 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. Palomares and Valdez were each previously sentenced to 120 months in federal prison, while Acevedo received 87 months.

At the hearings, the court heard additional evidence that described the inhumane conditions where these aliens were held and the ransoms demanded. In handing down the sentence, the court noted the brutal facts of the case.

On Dec. 3, 2020, law enforcement encountered five undocumented aliens who had been released after paying a ransom to smugglers. They reported others were being held hostage at a stash house in Donna. Authorities arrived at the property where they observed several individuals fleeing from the residence, including Valdez, Palomares and Acevedo whom law enforcement eventually placed under arrest.

Authorities located 17 other undocumented aliens at the stash house. Evidence revealed approximately 30 individuals were harbored at the property.

The investigation revealed Cavazos was the owner of the residence. He leased the property to Valdez who was in charge of the stash house operations. Valdez further recruited Acevedo and Palomares to participate in the scheme.

Upon further investigation, law enforcement discovered all four men would often carry pistols and AK-47 style rifles to intimidate the victims and assaulted both male and female undocumented aliens on multiple occasions. Multiple individuals also reported receiving death threats from the smugglers if their families did not pay their ransoms.

They held the undocumented aliens on the second floor of a barn with no air conditioning, running water or bathrooms. At the time of the arrests, evidence revealed Cavazos and the others had not fed the individuals in approximately four days. The property was unsanitary, crowded and filthy.

All four men will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with the assistance of Customs and Border Protection and San Juan Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jose A. Garcia prosecuted the case.