A 20-year-old man pleaded guilty in federal court to human smuggling charges, admitting that he guided seven unauthorized immigrants through sewer pipes on rainy days, prosecutors said. He could face up to 10 years in prison.
Kevin Noe Campos Villa, a Tijuana, Mexico, resident, acknowledged his involvement in the smuggling operation in the border during a court appearance on Thursday, the U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of California said in an official statement.
Campos Villa admitted that he waited for heavy rains, during which sewer pipes connecting the U.S. and Mexico open their grates to allow greater water flow, in order to guide migrants through the border in exchange for $6,000 payments.
The smuggler was arrested on January 22, 2024, after U.S. Border Patrol agents observed him directing the individuals from Mexico into the United States through the pipes about two miles west of the San Ysidro Port of Entry.
When confronted by the agents, Campos and three of the immigrants he was guiding ran to avoid apprehension. While attempting to escape, they fell into the Tijuana River and had to be rescued by San Diego lifeguards.
"According to court records, two of the unauthorized immigrants who were rescued stated that they feared for their lives when crossing the river because they did not know how to swim," the prosecutor's statement indicates. "One stated that he was swept away by the river's current and was able to grab and hold onto a tree branch until his rescue."
Campos also admitted that he has been working for smugglers by building ladders to smuggle people across the U.S.-Mexico border fence, the Attorney's Office informed.
"This case is yet another example of transnational smuggling organizations placing profits over safety," said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath in the statement.
"This is an important reminder that safety is of little concern to transnational criminal organizations," said Chief Patrol Agent Patricia McGurk-Daniel.
Campos Villa is set to be sentenced on June 17 before U.S. District Judge Linda Lopez. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Adeline Schulberg, prosecuting the case, has requested a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a potential fine of $250,000.
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