United States Drug Enforcement Administration

EL PASO - A Mexican national, Luis Carlos Davalos-Lopez, 29, pleaded guilty today in El Paso, Texas, to conspiracy to bring in aliens to the United States. According to court documents, Davalos-Lopez conspired with others to smuggle migrants through an underground tunnel from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, to El Paso, Texas.

“This guilty plea reflects the relentless work of law enforcement to dismantle foreign terrorist organizations like CJNG,” said Special Agent in Charge Robert “Eric” Castañeda of the DEA’s El Paso Division. “No matter the concealment tactics, smuggling methods, or illicit finance networks used, DEA will track down those responsible and ensure they face justice.”

“This defendant demonstrated a total disregard for our nation’s laws by conspiring to smuggle illegal aliens into the United States through a tunnel that ran from Mexico under the U.S. border into Texas,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “This shows that smugglers will stop at nothing to move illegal aliens into the United States for profit. The Department of Justice is sending a clear message that those who undermine the integrity of our borders will be investigated and prosecuted.”

“The defendants in this case were key figures in a criminal enterprise that has had a heavy, detrimental impact on both sides of the border, smuggling drugs and illegal aliens into the U.S. while also trafficking firearms into Mexico, firearms which were then used to further facilitate the movement of drugs and illegal aliens into this country,” said U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas. “The convictions secured in this case are just another nail in the coffin for these transnational criminal organizations and foreign terrorist organizations. With the full force of the Homeland Security Task Force and Joint Task Force Alpha behind us, we will accomplish our mission of eradicating these groups and ending their reign of terror.”

“Davalos-Lopez and his co-conspirators thought they could exploit the United States southern border utilizing a secret tunnel which was constructed by the foreign terrorist organization, Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion to facilitate their illegal activities in smuggling of humans, drugs, and firearms,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Coult W. Markovsky of the FBI El Paso Field Office. “The discovery of this tunnel and the subsequent convictions related to those who were part of this operation underscores the FBI’s and our partners’ never-ending commitment to dismantle trafficking by the foreign terrorist organization, CJNG.”

“Criminals who traffic human beings and firearms are exactly the individuals ATF works every day to stop,” said ATF Director Rob Cekada. “Our focus is squarely on violent offenders and the criminal networks that threaten public safety. If you fuel cartel violence or exploit our communities, we will find you and hold you accountable.”

“Members of foreign terrorist organizations, such as the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion, pose a serious threat to the safety and security of our communities and our nation,” said HSI Acting Executive Associate Director John A. Condon. “Exploiting vulnerable individuals for profit while facilitating movement of weapons, drugs or resources to terrorist organizations will not be tolerated. HSI will aggressively pursue those who enable these criminal networks and hold them accountable for the grave consequences of their actions. There is no place in our communities for individuals who profit from human suffering or knowingly strengthen terrorist organizations.”

In January 2025, federal law enforcement located a sophisticated tunnel between Ciudad Juarez and El Paso. Intercepted phone calls between Davalos-Lopez and other individuals revealed conversations regarding the smuggling of aliens through the tunnel and included references to charging aliens upwards of $30,000 to utilize the tunnel for purposes of entering the United States unlawfully and without inspection. In several of these intercepted phone calls, Davalos-Lopez specifically referred to a tunnel that exists between Juarez and El Paso and discussed how many migrants cross through the tunnel and how much is charged to use the tunnel. Davalos-Lopez and his co-defendants were indicted in April 2025. The Government of Mexico, pursuant to its National Security Law, subsequently transferred Davalos-Lopez to the United States.

Davalos-Lopez pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to bring in aliens to the United States. A sentencing date has not yet been set. Davalos-Lopez faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Davalos-Lopez’s co-defendant, Maria Del Rosario Navarro-Sanchez, 40, of Mexico, previously pleaded guilty on Aug. 27 to conspiring with others to provide material support to the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) by trafficking firearms from the United States to Mexico, for the express purpose of delivering those firearms to members of CJNG. Gustavo Castro-Medina, 29, of Mexico, also previously pleaded guilty to serving as an intermediary to facilitate the interstate and foreign transfer of $3,000 in U.S. currency via wire to an undercover agent to purchase firearms for subsequent unlawful transport.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in El Paso, assisted by the U.S. Border Patrol, investigated the case. ATF legal attachés in Mexico City and Mexico’s Fiscalía General de la República Organized Crime Unit (FGR-FEMDO) provided substantial assistance. HSI’s Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C., and CBP’s National Targeting Center International Interdiction Task Force also provided assistance with the investigation. The Justice Department’s (DOJ) Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance.

Trial Attorney Marie Zisa of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory McDonald for the Western District of Texas are prosecuting the case.

The investigation and superseding indictment were supported and prosecuted by Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA), the DOJ’s lead effort in combating high-impact human smuggling and trafficking committed by cartels and Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs). A highly successful partnership between the DOJ and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), JTFA investigates and prosecutes human smuggling and trafficking and related immigration crimes that impact public safety and border security. JTFA’s mission is to target the leaders and organizers of cartels and TCOs involved in human smuggling and trafficking throughout the Americas. The Attorney General has elevated and expanded JTFA to target the most prolific and dangerous human smuggling and trafficking groups operating not only in Mexico and the Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, but also in Canada, the Caribbean and the maritime border, and elsewhere.

Led by the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and supported by the Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section, the Office of International Affairs, and the Office of Enforcement Operations, among others, JTFA has dedicated Assistant U.S. Attorneys from the Southern District of California; District of Arizona; District of New Mexico; Western and Southern Districts of Texas; Southern District of Florida; Northern District of New York; and District of Vermont. JTFA also partners with other U.S. Attorney’s Offices throughout the country and supports high-priority cases in any district. All JTFA cases rely on substantial law enforcement resources from DHS, including HSI and Customs and Border Protection U.S. Border Patrol and Office of Field Operations, as well as FBI and other law enforcement agencies. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 482 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling and/or trafficking; more than 433 U.S. convictions; and more than 369 significant jail sentences imposed and forfeitures of substantial assets.

This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, HSTF directs the full might of U.S. law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. HSTF utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.