A Texas man will spend years in federal prison after he was found guilty of organizing a human smuggling scheme involving thousands of illegal immigrants.
Isai Orona, 35, who also goes by “Panda,” was sentenced to 54 months in federal prison for conspiracy to transport aliens and transporting aliens, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Western District of Texas on Wednesday.
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Court documents showed that Orona was identified in WhatsApp communications as the organizer of the smuggling scheme.
He admitted to smuggling more than 2,500 illegal immigrants into the US within a six-month span in 2023, many of whom were taken to Albuquerque, New Mexico.
He also said he had a network of drivers that helped him smuggle the illegal immigrants in at least 12 vehicles. When U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested a co-conspirator for transporting nine illegal immigrants in El Paso, they discovered the car being used was registered to Orona.
He was arrested on Nov. 20, 2023, and pleaded guilty to the aforementioned crimes on July 12, 2024.
In addition to the four and a half years he’ll spend behind bars, the court also entered a money judgment against Orona for $250,000.
