Texas man with connections to Mexican cartel gets 20-years for third human smuggling conviction
A man from South Texas with links to Mexico’s Gulf Cartel was sentenced to 240 months behind federal prison bars after holding two men against their will and demanding ransom for their freedom. The 23-year-old human smuggler from Donna, Texas, – Miguel Angel Castillo – pleaded guilty on January 29, 2021 and was sentenced to his 20-year stint on March 31. Upon his release, U.S. District Judge Randy Crane also sentenced him to three years of supervised release.
In handing down the sentence, the court noted this was Castillo’s third time in federal court following two prior convictions for alien smuggling. Further, this human smuggling attempt occurred while Castillo was on federal probation from a prior conviction.
In August 2019, two men illegally entered the United States in hopes to reunite with their families in New Jersey and California. As part of the smuggling attempt, they stayed at Castillo’s stash house in Donna.
From August 1-15, 2019, Castillo held the men against their will and forced them to call their family members to request ransom monies. Castillo threatened both men with a firearm and said he would kill them if they did not comply.
Court documents state that the two men paid $4,000 in Mexico before they crossed into Texas. One victim’s family member ended up paying an additional $6,000 ransom to Castillo for his release. On August 15, 2019, the two men were transported to a motel in Donna. There, they were eventually able to obtain a phone and call for help.
Castillo has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future. Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with assistance from the Donna Police Department.
(Sources: HSI / ICE and U.S. Attorney’s Office / Southern District of Texas)
~ Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today / Connect with Richard on Facebook and Twitter
