LAREDO, Texas — A Mexican national illegally living in Laredo has been sentenced to 24 months in prison for a human smuggling operation using a fake Union Pacific vehicle, the U.S. Attorney’s office has announced.
Jesus Aleman-Serrano, 34, had previously pleaded guilty in the case in May. Following the end of his prison term, he is expected to face removal proceedings.
Two Laredo residents, Edison Alfredo Escalante, 23, and Clarissa Villareal, 29, previously received sentences of 18 months in jail and time served, respectively, for their involvement, as well as three years of supervised release.
The sentences stem from a Feb. 26 incident in which authorities observed a work truck with Union Pacific decals attempting to bypass a checkpoint on Interstate 35 north of Laredo. The truck, which was not registered to UP, was carrying 11 undocumented individuals from Mexico and Honduras — eight hidden in a makeshift compartment in the bed and three others in another small hidden compartment.
Escalante, who was driving the vehicle, originally claimed he worked for UP and that he was forced by people in Mexico to commit the crime, but evidence on his cell phone connected him to a cartel and showed his participation in planning the smuggling and purchasing the decals. Aleman-Serrano was identified as owner of a stash house for harboring the smuggled migrants and Villareal was hired to take care of them.
