A Mexican national has pleaded guilty in federal court to taking part in a cross-border human smuggling conspiracy that used a sophisticated underground tunnel connecting Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, with El Paso, Texas.
Luis Carlos Davalos-Lopez, 29, entered the plea in El Paso to one count of conspiracy to bring undocumented migrants into the United States, according to the Justice Department.
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Federal investigators said Davalos-Lopez worked with others to smuggle migrants through a tunnel running beneath the U.S.-Mexico border.
Authorities discovered the tunnel in January 2025 during an investigation by federal law enforcement. According to court records, intercepted telephone calls captured Davalos-Lopez discussing the tunnel, how many migrants were being moved through it and how much they were being charged.
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Investigators said smugglers discussed charging migrants as much as $30,000 to use the tunnel to enter the United States without inspection.
“Criminals who traffic human beings and firearms are exactly the individuals ATF works every day to stop,” said ATF Director Rob Cekada.
“Our focus is squarely on violent offenders and the criminal networks that threaten public safety. If you fuel cartel violence or exploit our communities, we will find you and hold you accountable,” he added, per Fox7.
Davalos-Lopez and several alleged co-conspirators were indicted in April 2025. Mexican authorities later transferred him to the United States pursuant to Mexico’s National Security Law.
The case is part of a broader federal investigation into smuggling networks operating along the border in the El Paso area.
Other defendants tied to the tunnel investigation have faced separate charges involving human smuggling, firearms trafficking and alleged support for the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación, or CJNG, which the United States has designated as a foreign terrorist organization.
One defendant, Ricardo Guadalupe Dominguez, was sentenced earlier this year to 42 months in federal prison for helping facilitate smuggling operations through underground passages and storm drains. Prosecutors said members of the operation used vehicles and tools to alter existing drainage systems and connect them to man-made tunnels.
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Another defendant, Oscar Ivan Carrillo, was sentenced to 33 months in prison after authorities said he helped construct portions of the tunnel system and guide migrants into the United States.
According to prosecutors, smugglers sometimes positioned a modified box truck over a manhole and used a trap door in the vehicle to secretly remove migrants from the underground system.
Federal officials said the Davalos-Lopez prosecution was brought as part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative, which targets transnational criminal organizations involved in human smuggling and other cross-border crimes.
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A sentencing date for Davalos-Lopez has not yet been scheduled.
He faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison.
The final punishment will be determined by a federal judge after reviewing the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors, Fox7 in Austin reported.
Trump won his 2024 election, in large part, by promising strict border enforcement and mass deportations of those in the U.S. illegally.
Earlier on Wednesday, FBI Director Kash Patel dropped a chilling update regarding a growing national security threat to the United States.
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Foreign intelligence services are expanding their espionage and other clandestine operations inside the United States, with China presenting the most significant counterintelligence challenge, Patel told the Senate this week.
Appearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Patel said the FBI has intensified efforts to identify and disrupt foreign intelligence operatives associated with China, Russia, and Iran as those governments become increasingly aggressive in targeting U.S. institutions, technology, and national security information.
China remains the bureau’s primary counterintelligence concern, Patel said, while Russia and Iran also continue to conduct significant intelligence operations targeting the United States.
“Our adversaries, including Russia, the PRC, and Iran, continue to undermine our core institutions, and they are becoming more aggressive and more capable,” the bureau has noted in congressional testimony describing the threat.
But instead of focusing on the threats to Americans, ranking Democrat Dick Durbin of Illinois and other Democratic senators challenged Patel over personnel cuts, changes to FBI hiring standards, and allegations that the bureau has become politicized under his leadership.
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.
