US News
Border tunnel smuggler pleads guilty to migrant conspiracy charge
A Mexican national admitted to his role in a cross-border smuggling ring connecting Ciudad Juárez to El Paso storm drains.
The short version
- Luis Carlos Davalos-Lopez pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to bring migrants into the United States through an underground border tunnel.
- Prosecutors allege the smuggling route linked Ciudad Juárez to El Paso's municipal drainage system and charged migrants up to $30,000 each.
- The prosecution reflects broader federal efforts to charge cartel-linked trafficking networks under counterterrorism frameworks.
Key facts
- Luis Carlos Davalos-Lopez pleaded guilty to a single count of conspiracy to bring migrants into the U.S., which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.[CBS News]
- The smuggling network utilized an underground tunnel starting in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, that connected to public storm drains in El Paso, Texas, where migrants exited through manholes into modified vehicles.[CBS News]
- Authorities stated that the operation charged individual migrants up to $30,000 for illicit border crossings.[CBS News]
- Investigators reported the underground tunnel was constructed by the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG).[CBS News]
- An associate in the network, Maria Del Rosario Navarro-Sanchez, pleaded guilty in August 2026 to conspiracy to provide material support to CJNG.[CBS News]
What remains uncertain
- The specific sentencing date for Davalos-Lopez has not been disclosed.[CBS News]
Sources
Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.
- Smuggler who used tunnel under U.S.-Mexico border pleads guiltyCBS News - Top Stories