A convicted El Paso-area border smuggler directly involved in the transportation of more than 100 undocumented migrants was sentenced to more than nine years in federal prison, authorities said.
Jesus David Escareno, 19, of Clint, was sentenced to 115 months in prison on Monday, Dec. 1, by U.S. District Judge Leon Schydlower in federal court in Downtown El Paso after pleading guilty to a federal charge of conspiracy to transport aliens.
Escareno, known as “El Gerver,” was the leader of a smuggling cell operating in far West Texas and New Mexico who worked with dozens of drivers hired to pick up and transport migrants who had illegally crossed the border, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas said in a news statement.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said that Escareno was involved in the smuggling of more than 100 people in a period from July 2024 to February 2025.
Escareno was arrested on April 7 as part of an investigation by U.S. Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Border Patrol, officials said.
He pleaded guilty to the smuggling conspiracy charge on Sept. 9 as part of a plea agreement. After he completes his prison term, he will be under supervised release for three years, court documents stated.
The case was part of Operation Take Back America, the Trump administration’s national crackdown on illegal immigration, drug cartels and international gangs.
Daniel Borunda may be reached at dborunda@elpasotimes.com and @BorundaDaniel on X.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso border smuggler who transported over 100 migrants sentenced
Reporting by Daniel Borunda, El Paso Times / El Paso Times
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