A Mexican man pleaded guilty March 21 to organizing a smuggling operation that led to the deaths of 13 migrants when the vehicle in which they were concealed collided with a tractor-trailer after crossing the border into California two years ago.
Jose Cruz Noguez, 49, of Mexicali pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to bring in illegal immigrants and three counts of doing so for financial gain, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office.
He faces a minimum of 15 years in prison and will be sentenced in June.
According to prosecutors, on March 2, 2021, Noguez organized a smuggling operation—in which two modified sport utility vehicles were used to transport dozens of people. The vehicles were driven through a breach in the international boundary fence near Calexico in Imperial County, California.
The two vehicles traveled west along Interstate 8 after successfully entering the United States where one of them, a GMC Yukon, caught fire near Highway 115, and the other, a Ford Expedition, collided with a big rig on the same highway in Holtville, about 115 miles east of San Diego. The collision led to the deaths of 13 individuals, including the driver.
Twenty-five people were in the SUV at the time of the crash. The other passengers suffered from injuries, many of which were serious. A 15-year-old girl—who was unaccompanied by a parent or guardian—was among the injured.
Noguez admitted that days prior to the incident, he had conducted other acts preparing for the smuggling—including attempting to recruit at least one criminal associate to drive a vehicle containing as many as 20 illegal immigrants. The defendant also said he used his vehicle to scout the area the vehicles would be traveling on March 2, confirming there was no law enforcement in the area.
Noguez was taken into custody two weeks after the crash at the Calexico Port of Entry, the Justice Department said.
Froylan Cortez Avalos, 49, of Mexicali has also been charged in the case but remains a fugitive, authorities said.
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