Horizon City Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Lead Role in Human Smuggling Organization Publisher: U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Texas Dateline: El Paso, Texas Date: 22 January 2025 Subjects: American Government , Crime

EL PASO, Texas – A Horizon City man was sentenced to 54 months in federal prison for charges related to his involvement in a human smuggling conspiracy.

According to court documents, Isai Orona aka Panda, 35, was the organizer of a human smuggling scheme. He had been identified in WhatsApp communications, which the organization used for coordinating criminal activity. Additionally, when U.S. Border Patrol agents apprehended a co-conspirator who had been transporting nine undocumented noncitizens in El Paso, the vehicle used was registered to Orona.

Orona was arrested Nov. 20, 2023. He pleaded guilty July 12, 2024, to one count of conspiracy to transport aliens and one count of transporting aliens. Orona admitted to smuggling over 2,500 undocumented noncitizens within approximately six months in 2023. Many car loads of undocumented noncitizens were transported to Albuquerque, New Mexico and on to other locations. He also admitted to having a network of drivers to transport the undocumented noncitizens in at least 12 vehicles, which he obtained or helped others to obtain. In addition to Orona’s imprisonment, the court entered a money judgment against him in the amount of $250,000.

U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas made the announcement.

USBP investigated the case with assistance from the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Richard Watts and Patricia Acosta prosecuted the case.

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Updated January 22, 2025