Feds: Brothers led immigrant smuggling ring

A man U.S. federal authorities alleged was the ringleader of a major immigrant smuggling organization -- which was linked to two deaths this summer -- was arrested Friday in El Paso on charges of immigrant smuggling.

Ruben Patrick Valdes, a U.S. citizen who lives in Juárez, was indicted Aug. 7 by a federal grand jury in El Paso with one count of conspiracy to bring and attempt to bring undocumented immigrants across the U.S. border illegally.

His brother, Roman Martin Valdes, who is a fugitive, also is charged with immigrant smuggling, according to the indictment that was unsealed Friday.

The brothers allegedly "recruited American truck drivers from bars and clubs in Ciudad Juárez ... to use their commercial vehicles (usually tractor trailers) to transport (undocumented immigrants) from El Paso to various locations throughout the United States," Margaret Leachman, assistant U.S. attorney for the Western District of Texas, said.

If he is convicted, Ruben Patrick Valdes faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and up to three years of supervised release.

The undocumented immigrants first were smuggled from Juárez to El Paso, and later were transported to various Valdes organization staging areas in El Paso, officials said. The immigrants were kept at staging sites until they were turned over to truck drivers who drove them to cities such as Dallas and Santa Fe.

El Paso sector Border Patrol Chief Luis Barker said investigators linked the Valdes organization to the deaths of two undocumented immigrants who died as a result of heat-related injuries while being transported in a tractor-trailer driven by Troy Phillip Dock and Jason Steven Sprague.

The two men who died were discovered after Texas Department of Public Safety officers stopped the truck they were traveling in on July 27 in Anna, Texas. Twenty-eight immigrants were in the truck's trailer.

Dock, Sprague and others in the Valdes organization were indicted in the Eastern District of Texas under the federal Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) in connection with the deaths.

In addition to the two truck drivers, officials identified six other men and six other women who they said were co-conspirators.

According to the indictment, two people picked up a group of undocumented immigrants in Chaparral, N.M., and took them to a truck stop in Dallas.

"On or about July, 27, 2002, (Sprague) placed a phone call to Ruben Patrick Valdes in Ciudad Juárez ... During the call, (Sprague) told Ruben Patrick Valdes that some of the people in the trailer had died," the indictment said.

"Ruben Patrick Valdes told (Sprague) that he should not have gotten involved with Veronica," referring to Veronica Guadian-Aguilera, one of the alleged co-conspirators.

Barker said Ruben Patrick Valdes "has been known to operate in this area many, many years ... this is a very lucrative business."

Officials estimated that between 1999 and 2002, the Valdes brothers organized the smuggling of at least 11 loads of undocumented immigrants totaling between 900 and 1,000 people, being paid about $1,500 for each immigrant.

Thomas Roepke, the lead federal prosecutor in the case, said cooperating witnesses assisted with the Juárez end of the investigation, and that U.S. federal agents did not cross the border to investigate the alleged smugglers.

The indictment said some of the places in Juárez where members of the group met included the Club Panama and Hotel Maria Bonita. In El Paso, they met at a Motel Plus, a Wal-Mart parking lot, a Hamburger Inn, and the Chevron and Petro truck stops.

None of the owners or employees at the places mentioned are accused of any wrongdoing.

Officials said the Valdes organization used guides to help the undocumented immigrants cross the border at unauthorized crossings. Later, the immigrants were picked up and transported to staging areas to wait for their rides.

The indictment said that in 2001, Ruben Patrick Valdes introduced someone to alleged Mexican officials, and told him "that if anything happened to Valdes, 'they' (the government officials) would deal with it."

alleged Mexican officials, and told him "that if anything happened to Valdes, 'they' (the government officials) would deal with it."

Yet these scum are trying to make it seem like Americans fault the illegals are dying when they come over like this.

I'm confused......... If an illegal is caught (by Border Control) sneaking into the US, he is sent home without even getting a slap on the wrist. If the alien is not caught at the border, he is literally home-free and is rewarded with all sorts of social services and a new life, but the bastards who smuggle him are given hard time. What a whacky world.

I don't think the smugglers will have much trouble " 'they' (the government officials) would deal with it", President Fox will likely work out a deal with them, they're just working for the Mexican government after all.

Valdes brothers organized the smuggling of at least 11 loads of undocumented immigrants totaling between 900 and 1,000 people

Look how many total just these two guys and their associates were able to bring in alone. How many other smugglers are out there bringing in even more truckloads. This is before the Mexican truck drivers can bring them in themselves, it's probably a little tougher when you have to wait for an American truck driver to visit a Mexican bar before you work out a deal.

Look at the last sentence in the above article ---the Mexican government is helping smuggle people to the US and it probably is dumping it's prisoners on us also. They're not sending us only people who will work hard for cash, it's easier for them to let us pay for their prisoners.

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