SELLS, Ariz. — A Surprise area man was arrested July 23 following his role in recruiting a driver and coordinating the transportation of two undocumented noncitizens in March 2024, one of whom suffered fatal injuries after jumping out of the driver’s vehicle while it was moving. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) is conducting the investigation in this case.
Nathan Espinoza Jr., 22, of Surprise, is charged by criminal complaint with one count of conspiracy to transport illegal aliens for profit.
The complaint alleges that, since at least March 2024, Espinoza has conspired with others to recruit drivers to transport undocumented noncitizens, in exchange for which he received approximately $1,000 per person transported into the United States. The complaint further alleges that Espinoza has acted as a middleman for other smuggling coordinators and has helped coordinate numerous smuggling loads, including the March 2024 smuggling event that resulted in the death of a noncitizen passenger.
A complaint is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
This arrest is a result of the coordinated efforts of Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA). Attorney General Merrick B. Garland established JTFA in June 2021 to marshal the investigative and prosecutorial resources of the Department of Justice, in partnership with the Department of Homeland Security, to combat the rise in prolific and dangerous human smuggling and trafficking groups operating in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras. This work was recently expanded to Panama and Colombia. The task force focuses on disrupting and dismantling smuggling and trafficking networks that abuse, exploit or endanger migrants, pose national security threats, and are involved in organized crime.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona in Tucson is handling the prosecution.