Raul Saucedo-Huipio Gets 87 Months for Smuggling 200-Plus Migrants Across U.S. Border
Updated
Updated · Department of Justice · Jun 16
Raul Saucedo-Huipio Gets 87 Months for Smuggling 200-Plus Migrants Across U.S. Border
3 articles · Updated · Department of Justice · Jun 16
Summary
An Arizona federal court sentenced Raul Saucedo-Huipio, 51, to 87 months in prison after he pleaded guilty in March to conspiracy and bringing an alien into the United States.
Prosecutors said he managed a smuggling ring that moved well over 200 people from 2018 to 2022, charging some migrants tens of thousands of dollars to cross from Mexico into the United States.
The operation routed people from Central Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America, using ladders, fence gaps and wooden planks over waterways; Saucedo-Huipio was accused of brandishing a gun and overseeing crossings involving three small children.
Authorities said the group also robbed migrants of cash, phones and other belongings, often while armed with guns and knives.
Saucedo-Huipio was arrested in Mexico in 2023 and extradited to the United States; the case was backed by Joint Task Force Alpha, which says it has produced more than 458 arrests and 408 U.S. convictions.