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Mexican National Sentenced to 8 Years in Federal Prison for Transporting Aliens Publisher: U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Texas Dateline: El Paso, Texas 
Date: 25 March 2025 Subjects: American Government , Crime
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EL PASO, Texas – A Mexican national was sentenced in a federal court in El Paso to 97 months in prison for conspiracy to transport aliens.
According to court documents, Victor Ubaldo Hernandez-Ortega, 33, of Durango, worked as a load driver for a known human smuggler. As such, he would pick up illegal aliens in El Paso and transport them to other locations in El Paso or to a predetermined location in Albuquerque, New Mexico in exchange for $100 to $500 per alien. Additionally, Hernandez-Ortega was recruited to oversee two stash houses, between which more than 200 illegal aliens were harbored.
Hernandez-Ortega had previously been granted four voluntary departures, most recently on June 9, 2024, through Santa Teresa, New Mexico. He was arrested Aug. 21, 2024, and pleaded guilty Dec. 20, 2024.
Acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas made the announcement.
Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Border Patrol investigated the case.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Dearden prosecuted the case.
These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
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ContactUpdated March 25, 2025