CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A Cuban national was convicted Sept. 10 of human smuggling-related charges following an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Corpus Christi and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Deivis Reinaldo Rodriguez-Ramirez, a 49-year-old Cuban national, was convicted in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas of conspiring to unlawfully transport noncitizens following a two-day jury trial. The jury deliberated for less than an hour before finding him guilty.
“Noncitizens who rely on human smuggling organizations to circumvent U.S. immigration laws put themselves at grave risk of sexual assault, kidnapping, human trafficking, serious injury, and even death,” said HSI Houston Special Agent in Charge Mark Dawson. “Driven exclusively by greed, human smuggling organizations prey on the desperation and vulnerability of migrants, with a callous disregard for their health and safety. Fortunately, in this case we were able to dismantle this human smuggling organization to ensure these noncitizens were not subjected to any of those abuses, but it serves as an important reminder to always enter the United States through lawful means.”
During the hearing, evidence was presented showing that Rodriguez-Ramirez was part of a group of three men conspiring to smuggle noncitizens inside a tractor-trailer. On Aug. 21, 2023, Daikiel Perdomo-Castro drove the tractor-trailer into a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint near Falfurrias with no visible occupants. There, authorities asked Perdomo-Castro to drive the vehicle through an X-ray inspection.
During their inspection, law enforcement discovered Rodriguez-Ramirez, who had moved into the passenger seat, and eight illegally present noncitizens attempting to hide in the sleeper compartment of the tractor. A third co-conspirator, Macdiel Labrada-Martin, was also found in the sleeper compartment.
During the trial, the defense attempted to convince the jury that even though Rodriguez-Ramirez was in the tractor with the other two-conspirators and eight noncitizens, he had no part in the offense. They did not believe those claims and found Rodriguez-Ramirez guilty as charged.
Perdomo-Castro, 40, and Labrada-Martin, 32, both of Louisville, Kentucky, previously pleaded guilty and received sentences of nine and 15 months in federal prison, respectively. Rodriguez-Ramirez is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 4. At that time, he faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 fine. He was permitted to remain on bond pending that hearing.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Young Burkett and Ashley Martin are prosecuting the case.
For more news and information on HSI’s efforts to aggressively investigate human smuggling and human trafficking in Southeast Texas follow us on X, formerly known as Twitter, @HSIHouston.