The U.S. District Attorney’s Office in Arizona announced today that Maria Mendoza-Mendoza, also known as “La Guera,” has been sentenced to 120 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for her role as the leader of a human smuggling organization. The 52-year-old from Honduras received her sentence from United States District Judge Raner C. Collins after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Transport Illegal Aliens for Profit.
“Today’s sentencing is the latest example of the great work of Joint Task Force Alpha, which we launched nearly three years ago to hold accountable the most prolific and dangerous human smuggling groups, and which has obtained more than 240 convictions to date,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “This defendant exploited vulnerable migrants for her own profit, risking their lives and our national security in the process. Together with our partners across the federal government, the Justice Department will continue our efforts to dismantle and disrupt human smuggling networks like those the defendant operated.”
U.S. Attorney Gary Restaino emphasized the importance of collaboration in combatting international human smuggling: “Cooperation and collaboration are key tools in protecting America from the reach of international human smuggling organizations. We thank Honduras for its willingness to extradite, the various local agencies who interdicted migrants and helped us make the connection to a larger organization, and all of the Joint Task Force Alpha partners for dismantling a smuggling network.”
The Case Against Mendoza-Mendoza
Mendoza-Mendoza led a smuggling operation that illegally transported over 100 migrants from Honduras to the United States. She coordinated their movement from Honduras to the U.S./Mexico border and then to stash houses in Phoenix, Arizona, where the migrants were held until their smuggling fees were paid. The organization used funnel accounts to collect millions of dollars in fees. Mendoza-Mendoza enforced her authority by imposing punitive sanctions, including threats of violence. For example, she threatened to “bleed out” a guide as punishment and ordered that a migrant whose family did not pay his fee be abandoned in the desert.
Mendoza-Mendoza was indicted in January 2018 and was extradited from Honduras to the United States in June 2023. Judge Collins found several aggravating factors in her case, including the smuggling of unaccompanied minors, possession of a firearm, creating substantial risk of death, and detaining migrants through coercion or threat in connection with payment demands.
Joint Task Force Alpha
This prosecution is a result of the coordinated efforts of Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA), established by Attorney General Merrick B. Garland in June 2021. JTFA marshals the investigative and prosecutorial resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The Task Force focuses on dismantling and disrupting human smuggling and trafficking networks that abuse and endanger migrants, pose national security threats, and engage in organized crime. Since its inception, JTFA has achieved notable results, including 305 arrests, 242 U.S. convictions, 175 U.S. defendants sentenced, substantial seizures and forfeitures, multiple indictments, and successful extradition requests against foreign targets.
Investigation and Prosecution
The investigation in this case was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations – Sells Office, with significant assistance from Customs and Border Protection’s United States Border Patrol’s Tucson Sector and numerous state and local law enforcement agencies. The United States Marshals Service assisted with the extradition efforts. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs coordinated with law enforcement partners in Honduras to secure Mendoza-Mendoza’s arrest and extradition. The prosecution was handled by the United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Tucson.
